At Fifth Age's End
by Snowpurr226
Summary: The Gods' Age is the Fifth Age, but no one knows exactly how long it will last. According to the Oracle, not very long. She has prophesiezed that the moment a 13yr old girl named Elena wakes, the gods' time of glory will be ticking...
1. Countdown

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 1**

"You see anything?" asked Artemis. I peeked through the bushes at the herd of deer. Scanning quickly, I spotted a deer with a distinct limp in its trot.

"Yep." I replied, glancing back the goddess. Artemis fitted a silver arrow to her beautifully-crafted bow. I watch as she melts into the surrounding foliage, only to reappear crouched on a bough of a tree. I grin, thinking, 'That deer's dead meat.' _Literally_. _No one_ shoots like my best friend. The single arrow gives off a soft whistling as it shoots towards limping target.

_Twang!_ The deer falls, an arrow to the neck as the rest of the herd leaps off. Artemis descends from the tree, and we both walk over to inspect the animal. Together we chant an ancient Greek blessing, and a wispy trail of smoke curls skywards, the soul of an animal. Artemis stoops to pick up the meat, then turns to face me.

"Top that," she challenges.

I grin, accepting the challenge with eagerness. "_Easy_."

As we run through the forest in the direction of the deer herd, I ready my bow, nocking the arrow with the ease of 30 years' practice. Of all the gods and goddesses, I admire and love Artemis the best. We're BFFs. Since I fell into a self-induced coma 30 years ago, the gods have been my _only_ companions and will be until the Oracle's prophecy comes into action. Which may take another century or so. Don't worry; I'm aging ever so slowly in my coma. Right now I think I'm 13 or so. Only the gods can visit me, since only they can enter my 'dream world'.

We stop, almost skidding to a crouch as we sense the deer herd ahead. I quickly spring into Huntress mode, circling the herd in a wide circle to get a better angle. Picking a young buck drinking the cold stream water, I take aim and release the drawstring. The arrow hits the young buck's side. It falls, twisting, as the herd rushes off in a flurry of hooves and fur.

I emerge from my hiding spot to walk confidently to the fallen deer. Artemis emerges a millisecond later, a look of begrudging defeat on her face. It's a rare look for her. Usually the ones giving the look are the wannabe hunters challenging _her_.

"Alright, you win." Then her trademark half-smile returns to its rightful place on her lips as she continues, "Just this once!"

I stick out my tongue at her; an action that would have gotten me turned into a deer myself had I not been her trusted friend. Muttering the Greek blessing under my breath, we watch breathlessly as the smoke spirals to the sky.

Our moment of peaceful silence is interrupted by a loud squawking. We turned in surprise as a raven carrying a message strapped to its back flies towards us. Artemis frowns, "That's strange. I thought I told Thalia where to go in my absence…" she trailed off as she pulls out the message and sees the Olympians' sacred seal.

I draw closer, wondering what could be the issue now. Usually Artemis does as she pleases, and rarely goes on missions. It's in Ancient Greek, but I've been reading the language since I was 5. I just can't _speak_ it. Artemis' face falls as she reads the letter, and my face follows suit.

"Awww, that's too bad. Wonder what they're flustered about now." I tried to hide my disappointment. I hate being alone in my dream world, because it changes into a white blank room with hardly anything in it.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to stay, but you know how mad Father Zeus gets if anyone's late." She picks up her bow and deer, shouldering both with the grace of a panther.

With a sad wave, she starts shimmering and I hurriedly avert my eyes. I don't know if I would disintegrate in my dream world but I don't want to take the chance. When she's gone, I sit and watch as the forest fades into blank, white walls.

All I'm left with is my buck, some gifts from the gods, and memories. I toy with the water in a small pond made by Poseidon himself. Little fish swim around my trailing finger. For a moment, the quiet almost deafens me before my dream world collapses with a violent crash.

_Where am I?_ I look up, and see a blue sky with clouds lazing across it. Panicking, I spin and fall face-first, catching myself and dropping into a push-up stance. I get up puzzled. Was someone sent to keep an eye on me during the meeting?

I groaned, thinking, 'Not Demeter again. If I have to hear _one_ more thing about cereal and how it's made-' _Wait_. I glance around, taking in the winding road, the majestic Greek buildings and the dryads dancing in the field further away. I feel my eyes light up in delight as I realize that I've finally woken up from my coma, and then fade as quickly as they came. If I've woken up, this means the prophecy might just be happening _now_.

I curiously stand, and then start to take in my surroundings. A beautiful blue sky, a city made of majestic marble. _Olympus_, I realize. They must have brought me here after I fainted. If so, then the Palace of the Gods must be here somewhere. I start walking towards the most majestic building in sight, a dome-shaped palace. I climb its steps, slowly at first, then picking up speed and hopping up them 2 at a time. I had to know what was going on.

Reaching the door, I take a deep breath as if swimming and push open the huge door. I almost fainted again at the sight of 12 super-powerful beings glaring at me for my impudence, and then, as I watch, fade into looks of surprise, horror, and mild amusement.

"It seems we have a bigger threat than we assumed," rumbled the gravelly voice of Hephaestus.

"Yes, it does seem we need to call for the help of our children, once again," Athena's calm voice replies.

"We must contact Chiron immediately," says Poseidon, stroking his trimmed beard at me thoughtfully. They all look unmistakably at Mr. D, who was twirling a grapevine around his fingers.

When he noticed that they were all looking at him, he sighed, "Alright, I'll get right on it."

"Wait," I say, still half-stunned, "what's going on? What threat? What am I supposed to do now I've woken up? What's this meeting about, anyway?" It's amazing I said anything at all, but hey, I was confused.

Artemis smiled and said, "Well, we were just discussing what to do with this _wayward_ Titan, that's all. We thought it would blow over soon, but now we see it's more serious than it looked."

"So, now what? I'm supposed to go to this camp, aren't I? Camp Half-Blood. That's where Chiron will train me and then I go after this Titan person. Who's he? Atlas? Hyperion?" I remembered the few conversations I had with Apollo about the prophecy and what it meant. There was an uncomfortable silence, like they didn't really want to tell me. "_Kronos_?" I whispered. _Oh_ _crap_.

"Not Kronos, dear, just…Krios." Hestia, my second favorite goddess.

"_Krios?_ What's he doing that's so, so serious you guys have to host an emergency meeting?" As far as I know, Krios was one of those fail Titans that were just there for décor. Lord of the Southern Constellations isn't exactly a _real_ honorable position.

"He seems to be gathering a group of monsters and plotting a kind of raid with them," rumbles the booming voice of Father Zeus himself.

"Chiron will be coming soon," reports Dionysus.

"Don't worry, Elena. You will get a chance to be a great heroine; I will make sure of that," reassures Artemis. But I couldn't care if I was a hero or not. My instincts took over me, and I felt a sense of controlled, harsh anger.

'Krios had better watch out,' I thought. 'I'll make sure that whoever wants Olympus will have his guts strewn all over the walkways of New York.' A gasp came from Hestia, and the gods all looked at something directly above me. I glanced up, and saw a set of scales glittering above me. 'My mom,' I realized.

Nemesis was my _mother_.

A voice came from nowhere, whispering to me, "Yes, dear. Make sure you keep your oath, or I will have to destroy you. I don't play favorites."


	2. Arrival

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 2**

Brrring! Screams the bell to lunch in Campbell High. Students slam books closed, scooping their stuff hurriedly and scrambling out the door. I'm in no such hurry. What's the point? I'm not exactly popular. Dodging bodies and books and flying pencils (they're quite common), I make my way to my locker. It's not _that_ untidy. I hate digging through my stuff just to find a pencil, so I keep it presentable. I still think there's a spider in there, though. Webs don't spin themselves.

Stuffing my history books into the locker, I close the door and spin the dial. Girls meet in their twos, like conspirators plotting a murder or something. I turn a corner and bam! Smack head first into a wall of chest. Johnathan Hale, the school bully. Oh, I mean school's star footballer.

"Yo loser dude! Jamie, right? The 6th grade _namby-pamby_, He Who Stares out the Window and draws unicorns."

I clench my teeth. "They're freaking called _pegasi_, Johnny. I thought I told you that before. Oh wait; sorry for thinking you could _remember_ something. My bad." Despite myself, I grin.

John's head swells like a balloon, and I think what fun it would be to hold a pin to it. It's not like anything important is inside. Then again, _is_ anything inside? I pondered over that.

John clenches his fists and I wait for it. _Swish_! Goes his hand and I duck. Grandfather taught me a few good tricks to use, but I wasn't going to use them yet. Let him swipe at empty air for a while.

He turns and growls. "I see the weak orphan is a coward, too." Hey!

"For the record, I _like_ being an orphan. Granddad's nicer than _delusional mom_." I shot back, dodging another jab. "And cowards don't taunt bullies, _nitwit_."

John narrowed his eyes at me. "Really? Then how come you haven't shot a single punch, weak little namby-pamby orphan?"

Ok, that was taking it a _little_ too far because then my body went on hyperdrive. I leaped, jabbing him one on the nose (yes, I'm _that_ short and he's _that_ tall) then giving him a hard left in the chest on the way down to a crouch. Ducking is best when you've just hit a bigger opponent.

His hands shot out automatically and his nose started to bleed. I barely noticed. I grabbed an arm and ran round, twisting viciously. Barely slowing, I grab his boxer shorts, only just visible above his pants. Pulling, I kick the back of his knees. Then I pull the boxers over his head and spin to face him.

None of the spectators spoke. Johnathan Hale kneeled before me, screaming "Wedgie!" and flailing like a dummy.

Suddenly the school coach broke into the circle. He had a look of surprise that would have been funny if it hadn't changed into a look of anger when he saw me.

"What did you do to my star pupil?" he yelled, spittle flying.

"He snuck up and kicked him, sir!" yelled one of John's buddies.

"Yeah," agreed another, "Gave him a wedgie before we could even think!" Perfect. _Sweet_ little James Dorman beating up Johnathan Hale before he could even think. Nice, guys.

Truth was, I was glad I beat him up. Then maybe I could get expelled and Grandfather would have to home school me again. I never had any friends anyway. Grandfather was way more interesting. He tells me Greek and Roman histories, battles, clever strategies, _bloody_ assassinations, the lot. Ok, math and science too, but it sounds cooler when Grandfather explains it.

"What's going on?" I heard the calm voice of the principal ask.

'Now I'm in _trouble_,' I thought, gleefully.

"This boy tried to assault my star pupil! He should be expelled!" yells the distraught coach.

'Please,' I thought.

The principal mulls it over, and then concludes, "I suppose that since this isn't the first time he's done something like this, we should consider expulsion an option. In the meantime, please, go back to your regular activities. I will consult with James' Grandfather."

As he turns to go into his office, I gave an inward cheer. The coach gives me a look, and then busied himself with Johnathan, cooing like a mother hen (gay much). The rest of the students whisper in groups as they walk off, leaving me alone.

The principal himself delivered the expulsion letter.

I played the sullen rebel dude for the cameras, but I was secretly rejoicing. Grandfather was waiting to pick me up, acting real mad, but I could tell he was faking. He never wanted to enrol me in school anyway. It was my crazy alcoholic mom who insisted.

I got into the car, half-listening to Grandfather's rant. As soon as we were out of range of prying eyes, we started laughing uncontrollably. It took a full 2 minutes for us to calm down enough to speak. Grandfather said, "Well, I was really doubting you'd ever get round to breaking someone's neck in that school. It's been 2 months."

"Just waiting for the right moment," I replied mischievously. We drove on in silence, and then I admitted, "I didn't fit in there. I was a loner, a jigsaw piece that broke."

Grandfather looked at me sideways, "Never heard that metaphor before."

"I've been saving it for a while now," I joked.

"Your father was a loner, too, you know? He never really liked small talk. He believed in getting the job done quickly. He had your eyes, and your smile, and, come to think of it, your way with words, too." I said nothing. I've heard this story countless times before, and like the Greek myths, I never tired of hearing it.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, each with our own thoughts. As we started up the long driveway to Grandfather's 'mansion', I sensed a tingling feeling all over my skin. My skin glowed lightly, like it was illuminated by the moon. I just stared.

Grandfather came up, carrying my bag. "Hey, let's get a move on! The driveway won't get shorter however hard you stare at it." It was then he noticed the glowing. He dropped my bag, staring, and then snapped into action. "Come," he said, hauling me by the arm.

He stumbled through the door, dragging me up the stairs and into my room to pull out a backpack, old and tattered. "Pack," he ordered. I was so freaked I didn't argue. Stuffing in some of my clothes, my notebook and pencil, and a toothbrush, I rushed out the door to find Grandfather waiting. I don't know how he does it, but he packs _real_ fast. We ran to the car and got in.

"Long Island Sound" said Grandfather to no one. Wait, maybe he was talking to the car because it made chugging noises and rushed off on its own.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Grandfather looked strained, but he smiled, "You know the Greek myths? The children of the gods? You're one of them. A Greek hero."

I was stunned. "I'm not Greek," I managed.

"Ah, but you are. You were just claimed by your father Morpheus."

"The god of dreams," I remember.

"Yes. Now we've got to get to demigod camp. Camp Half-Blood."

It was dark when we got there. Grandfather never seemed to relax. He just told me to grab my backpack and go.

"What about you?" I asked. He tried for a smile, but it came out forced.

"I'll be around. Just go!" I got out the door and ran for the 'borderline'. I almost got there before hearing a horrible crunch. I turned to see a manticore, a half-human, half-lion. And facing him, unarmed, was Grandfather.

"No!" I yelled desperately. But it was too late. The manticore hooked him by the scruff of the neck and started to melt into darkness.

"Our master awaits you. Come to him, and you will see your grandfather again," the manticore growled.

"Don't worry, James," called Grandfather. "I'll be fine. And this meathead is right. We'll see each other quite soon."

I watched helplessly before the manticore shot his spines straight into my left arm, spinning me to the ground, unconscious.


	3. Prophecy

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 3**

"Here we are, my dear," says Chiron as I scrub the sleep out of my eyes.

It was about 1 am in the morning. Chiron took longer than expected, due to an 'unexpected arrival' which needed urgent medical attention. Even with the travel powers centaurs had, it still took about ½ an hour for Chiron to get to Olympus. Traffic wasn't helping either. A traffic jam started as we set off, some accident caused by a drunk driver. We had to 'clean things up,' meaning we caused Mist to cover the onlookers as we tended to the casualties, just enough to survive the ride to the hospital.

Slipping off Chiron's back, I grasped my backpack and bow (which is all I need) and yawn for about the fiftieth time on the way here. I counted.

"This is your cabin, child. Make yourself at home. Breakfast is at 7:30, remember. I will see you fresh in the morning."

"Mmnn," I mumble. "Thanks, Chiron."

He smiled and galloped off. I fumbled with the doorknob for a moment, finally managing to open the door. It was completely empty of people, with a row of bunks, grey walls, a golden set of weighing scales and a bunch of maps and plans strewn everywhere.

'Nice,' I think.

Dropping my stuff, I fall head-first into the nearest bed. I don't think I even bothered pulling up the covers.

The sun's rays started playing with my brown bangs before I even woke up. I sat upright, banging my head on the bunk's metal frame.

"OW!" I grit my teeth. I don't like sleeping late. If this is what happens when you have a hangover, I am _never_ touching a drop of happy juice. Muttering ancient Greek curses, I search my backpack, looking for my watch. Then I realize I went to bed with it last night.

Oops.

Looking down, I see myself in my jeans and favorite purple T-shirt. Double oops. I didn't even _change_. Smiling at myself, I check my watch and stare in horror at the time.

8:00. _Crap_.

I rush to the mirror, hurriedly straightening my clothes and brushing my hair. When I'm satisfied (which doesn't take that long), I rush out the door, giving my ponytail a final tug. It doesn't take me that long to find the mess hall. It's actually quite hard to miss. I stumble in, but no one notices me. They're all too busy chatting to their siblings. I spot Chiron talking to a satyr, and next to him, Mr. D in his trademark leopard print shirt and purple jogging shorts.

Stepping over, I bow my head slightly to Mr. D, then turned to Chiron saying, "Sorry I'm late, Chiron. I overslept."

Chiron inclines his head graciously, "It's all right, my dear. We had a pretty late night." Raising his voice, he addresses the campers. "May I have your attention please, campers?" Heads turn to look in my direction, and I try not to flinch. It's almost as bad as having the gods stare at you.

"Last night, you may have noticed I was not at the campfire sing-a-long. I apologize for not telling you sooner, but I myself did not know what the reason I was summoned to Olympus was," A stir. I didn't think Chiron visited Olympus often. He continued, "Now I know. This girl, Elena Sinal, daughter of Nemesis, is the next great hero of our age. Let us honor her!"

A cheer went up, every camper raising their glass in a toast to _me_. In spite of my nervousness, I smile. Glancing through the faces, I see similarities to my friends the gods. Hermes' cocky smile, Athena's angled features, Apollo's sunny grin. Then the crowd quiets, and I realize they expect me to say something.

Oo-kay.

Taking a breath, I smiled. "Thank you. I-I hope to surpass your hopes and expectations of me. I won't let you all down." Another cheer, this time so deafening my hands shoot up to my ears. I think I blushed a little, too. As I watch, four people from four different cabins stand up and come over to me, rousing more cheers. These people sure liked to cheer.

One had the tanned face and easy smile of Poseidon, though not as many wrinkles. Another had the gray eyes and cool calculating look of Athena. The third was a handsome Hispanic boy with the shifty look of Hermes on his face. The last was a beefy girl with cruel Ares' eyes and 'attacked by a pair of scissors' dirty blond hair. Obviously they were the popular kids here.

Smiling, the Poseidon's kid offered his hand. "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson. This here's my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase." I shook the hand, smiling faintly and nodding at Athena's girl. Annabeth, I told myself. Annabeth smiled reassuringly and said hi.

"Um, I've heard all about you two. The gods keep me pretty updated. In fact, Athena ranted for a whole hour about you guys." They both blushed, and quickly I added, "She's ok now. I'm sure you'll prove her wrong."

The Hispanic Hermes' boy butted in. "Hi, name's Chris Rodriguez. Nice to meet you." I almost fell for the buzzer trick Hermes pulled on me years ago.

At the last moment, I tapped the back of his hand. "Not falling for that. Your dad pulled that trick on me with _high_ _voltage_." Chris looked crestfallen.

"She really got you that time, Chris!" the Ares' girl sniggered. Chris pouted as the girl introduced herself. "Name's Clarisse La Rue. As long as you don't mess with the Ares cabin, you don't mess with me."

"Everyone messes with you, Clarisse. You make it too easy," taunts Chris with an eye roll, earning a glare from Clarisse.

I smiled. "Don't worry. Ares is pretty cool, long as you know how to speak biker."

Percy grins. "You know biker?"

"Well, just the basics."

"Cool."

I grinned, Apollo-style. I had a feeling I was going to love camp.

I tug my ponytail in nervousness as I walked towards the training grounds. Percy had invited me to his sword-fighting class, and I had agreed. But now, I wasn't so sure. The gods had always made sure I fought for my life, using any means to take down an opponent.

I was just about to turn tail when, "Hey Elena!" Percy's voice. Too late. He grins at me. "Heya! I was about to unload these new swords my brother Tyson made. You wanna help?"

"Um. Ok." I managed. In no time at all, the students file in slowly, chatting in groups of 3s and 4s.

Percy addressed the crowd. "Hey people! Hope you stretched on the way here because we're gonna do some sword tricks and revise yesterday's jab and thrust moves. Savvy?"

"Isn't that what Captain Jack says?"

Percy gives a boyish grin, and starts to show the class different moves. After a few minutes of show-n-tell, Percy tells everyone to gear up. I reach up to my hair bands and pull one off, watching as it grows into a 1"5 long hunting knife, Artemis' 10th birthday gift to me.

Percy starts pairing everyone up. "You. You. And you there, go with him." Everyone moves to stand next to their partner, leaving me and another boy about my age standing alone. "Perfect," says Percy, motioning for us to pair up. I move over to him, looking him over.

He was a tanned and lithe like a panther. Dark silky hair hung over his grey-brown eyes. He wore a bluish grey T-shirt covered with zig-zags, black jogging shorts, and dark blue Converse. "Did I pass your standards?" he asks with a ghost of a smile. I realize I've been staring for a while now.

"I guess," Oops. He might not like that...

"Great, now can we get on with it?"

"Um, sure." We face each other and he goes first, lunging with an under-the-ribs jab. I dodge and counterattack, jabbing at his arm. He catches it on his blade, but just barely. "So, what's your name?" I ask.

"James Dorman. You?" Caught by surprise, I only just dodged the underhand-disarm-move.

"Um, Elena Sinal."

"Oh? That girl from Olympus? I imagined you much taller. I wasn't here this morning. I only just woke from my coma."

"You're new? You're pretty good at swordplay. Why were you in a coma?"

James shrugs, sidestepping. "Manticore. Left arm got choked full of spines."

"Oh." I wasn't really listening. He was coming at me constantly with jabs and thrusts. I wasn't really looking to defeat him, but on instinct I disarmed him by catching his blade on mine and twisting expertly. The sword clattered to the ground and I held my hunting knife level at his chest. He wasn't amused.

"Am I supposed to freak? I'm new at this and you've got more experience. It isn't exactly a fair fight." His sarcastic tone maddened me.

"So you're saying that if had more training, you could beat me, no sweat?" I demanded hotly.

"Duh," he replied nonplussed. I tripped him with my leg and held him down with my hunting knife.

"You wanna see what I can really do? Bring it _on_."

"Woah! Hold on. What's up?" I'd almost forgotten about Percy. Turning to see him with his arms spread wide. "Hey, you guys can fight it out in a duel, not during class. That's when you _learn_ to duel." I pull my hunting knife away reluctantly.

"Fine. 3:30 today, don't be late."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Ahem!" All of us whirl to find Chiron standing behind us. "May I please know what is going on?"

"Sure. Elena here gets angry for no reason and challenges me to a duel. I agree." James says while getting up.

Chiron looks grim. "I forbid it," he announces. "It isn't fair to James, Elena was trained by the gods _and_ you are still weak, young sir." James scowls, but doesn't protest as he clutches his arm. I guess manticore poison _does_ prove deadly.

Chiron then turns to me. "I have something to tell you."

"Chiron, are you sure? It's a bit early." Percy butts in, looking anxious.

"We do not have a choice. The gods have asked I show her as soon as possible." Without another word, he gallops off, me following closely. We got to the Big House, or that's what Annabeth called it. Chiron pulls a piece of paper from who knows where, unfurling it and giving it to me. Hands shaking, I read it hesitantly:

"_Monsters will destroy The West,_

_Unless this girl wakes from her rest,_

_Sent to kill the Olympians' does, I mean foes,_

_She shall fall into her own death throes,_

_An evil one whom she befriends,_

_Watches her as the Fifth Age…ends._

_~The Prophecy"_

"That," says Chiron, "is the prophecy ordained when you fell unconscious."

"So, this is about me?"

"Yes, my dear. A terrifying future awaits you. Proceed wisely."


	4. Shadows

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 4**

(A week after Ch. 3)

"Move a little to the side, Porkpie. I can't see your eyes."

Porkpie whinnied as he obeyed. A few strokes later and I showed Porkpie my drawing. I didn't need a Son of Poseidon to tell me what Porkpie thought as he started prancing around stable. "Yeah, but I think your head's too big right there." I frowned, looking at the charcoal sketch. Felina Sanders, the Aphrodite counselor, stuck her head in through the doors and smiled.

"Still here? You went in straight after lunch, and now it's like 4pm."

"Hey, drawing takes time and effort," I said, grinning. She smiled back.

"Well, your time and effort will have to be directed somewhere else. Percy's sword class starts in 5, or have you forgotten?"

"Hah, you think I would forget such a thing? Annabeth is co-teaching today and she said she would show me some new knife tricks."

"Isn't it so sweet? _Annabeth and Percy?_ They look so _cute_ together," gushed Felina. Rolling my eyes at the typical Aphrodite attitude, I stepped out the stable giving a mock salute before jogging to the training grounds. Everyone knew about the two. They were seen everywhere, the beach, the strawberry fields (don't step _foot_ there if your not mushy; it's like a couples hangout, and Clarisse is _merciless_), the woods. I didn't care, really, as long as I didn't have to _watch_. Jake Mason saw me along the way and waved.

"Hey, James! Convinced the Athena cabin to side with us yet?"

"Working on it! I'll have them by tonight!" I yell back. The Athena cabin was currently undecided in their loyalties for Capture the Flag, and since I was unusually good at convincing people, the Hermes cabin had elected me 'Prometheus', meaning I convinced them to join us.

So far, I was loving camp. Swordplay and Greek Mythology and writing was a breeze (although I still got the grammar wrong sometimes), foot racing was ok (I just couldn't beat Juniper), and hand-to-hand-combat? Clarisse still pulverized me, but I managed to stay in for longer than most guys.

Counts for _something_.

The rest of the time I had was spent feverishly drawing sketch after sketch of, well, practically everything. The cabins, Big House, Mess Hall, Hestia (if I managed to catch her lazing), the beach, the pegasi (wonderful specimens, Porkpie's the best poser ever), even the monsters before the got vaporized by Percy. The only things I really sucked at were canoeing and archery. I just couldn't seem to get the timing or the aim right.

Jogging past most of the students, I scan frantically for 'my' knives. Technically they're not mine but I'm the only one who uses them. Annabeth smiles.

"I made sure no one touched them. You ready?"

"You know I am."

She crouches and draws her knife in answer. Assuming the 'horse stance', I stand at guard, waiting.

Without warning, Annabeth attacks, a feint from the head to the arm. Blocking it, I twist out of the way and curve my blade in an arc, heading towards her shoulder. She dives for the ground, catching herself with both hands and swinging her legs around to trip me up. I jump just in time, pointing my knife downwards, aiming for her thigh. She finishes her swing and leaps up with the extra momentum, spinning to face me again.

"Nice," she mutters.

"In a 'I'm gonna gut you' way," I replied. We grinned, and settled in serious sparring.

After half and hour of slicing, dodging, and faking, Percy clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "People listen up! Let's pair up for that duel I promised you guys! You know who's your partner, so let's get going!"

I smile wickedly. Percy always pairs me with that Olympus girl, Elena. It's because of our conflicting techniques and styles. Same goes for Clarisse's hand-to-hand-combat class. Personally, I enjoy annoying her. She's really hotheaded and outspoken, but she _is_ a good fighter, and she's just so _responsive_.

Every joke and jibe I make, her face gets _redder_ and her slashes get _harsher_. Once she almost nicked me in the elbow. In short, a jokester's dream. As usual, she scowled at me like I'd been pecked by the Styphalian Crows. Pulling her hair bands loose, she grasped her 10th birthday present from Artemis, a pair of wicked-looking celestial bronze hunting knives.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Always ready to _gut_ you, James," she growls savagely.

"Same here."

Grasping her hunting knives, she slashed with a two-handed crab-claw that would have gotten me sliced in half had I not sprung back in time. Her striking blue eyes narrowed slightly, and I counterattack by blocking her swords and sliding feet first into her legs. She stumbles and manages to roll onto her feet. I turn to face her as she charges, holding her at a trembling standstill with a hilt-catch, one of the most difficult moves a knife fighter can learn. I didn't even know I could do it until then.

Angling my blade at her throat while holding her blades still was no easy task. Her thin and strong body wavered, pale, 'moonlit' skin trembling. After silently counting to 3, I let go. She pulls back warily, searching my face for some kind of victory smirk. Of course, I had none. Beating her was hard enough, and I didn't want to make her _kill_ me. I don't think I could pull off another one of those hilt-catches again.

Besides, she was on the Ares team for Capture the Flag, opposite of mine. I would rather pulverize her then, when the uneven ground and surrounding foliage added a sense of advantage. Percy came over, and then stopped as he noticed my downward pointing blade and her slightly confused-begrudging look of defeat.

Without warning, she twirled her hunting knives, changing them back into hair bands, and stalked off while fixing her ponytail again. I watch as she dodges some sparring partners and stomps off in the direction of her cabin. Elena Sinal, amazing at swordplay, canoeing, Greek Mythology and Writing, archery (Chiron has to give her private lessons), and hand-to-hand combat, skulking off because she lost a battle with an average demigod guy. In fact, she's practically great at everything except pegasi-riding and foot racing. She _sucks_ at those.

"_Wow_," says Percy, voicing my thoughts. "She's gonna have her hunting knives into you now."

"I know. I hope she'll cut me some slack for Capture the Flag tomorrow. I don't think I have another hilt-catch left in me." Percy gives me a sudden look of awe.

"A hilt-catch? Awesome, man. You should tell Annabeth. She'll go _hysteric_." I give him a sideways look.

"That doesn't sound like the Annabeth I'm used to." Percy gave a lopsided grin in reply, waggling his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm _exaggerating_. Can't you tell?" I laughed, and he joined in after a while.

"A bit too much, don't you think?" I gasp between bursts of laughter.

"Not really."

He smiles and straightens, with considerable effort. After a few more moments of uncontrollable sniggering, I follow suit.

A good thing too. Else I would have been sniggering and half-choking on the ground when Chiron decided to gallop up. You know, I should get him to pose for me. A centaur would be interesting to sketch. The proportion would have to be _just_ right, and the angles, as well as-

"James, a package came for you this afternoon. From your father, Morpheus, no less."

"My dad?"

I knew the gods didn't exactly go to your parent-teacher conferences, even with the oath Percy made them swear to. A package was like saying, "Hey, what's up? I know it isn't your birthday or anything but I thought I'd send you something. _For fun_." I take the package and Percy crowds over to look.

"Dude, your dad decided to send you a _present_. It even has a note!"

Sure enough, there was a note attached to it saying, "To my son, a useful gift that will come in very handy soon. I foresee this." Trembling almost as much as Elena had, I rip the brown wax paper and peeked inside.

Two sparkling blades seem to glare back at me, demanding to be held and admired. I obliged, dropping my hand in and taking out the two perfectly balanced knives, each gleaming with a celestial bronze sheen. Hypnotic patterns engraved on both hilts, the knives were stunning and _beautifully_ dangerous. Tracing the patterns, I grin wickedly.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about."

Raising my eyes to the sky, I said a heartfelt thank-you to Morpheus, thinking, 'Elena had better _watch_ it.'


	5. Quest

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 5**

(2 days later)

"Hey, Elena! Wait up, punk!"

In exasperation, I turn to face Clarisse, who ploughed into me, unable to stop her headlong dash. "_What_?" I demanded.

"Don't worry about Percy, girl. Annabeth will beat him up, and I'll carry on if she gets tired. We'll make sure he resembles _pickled_ _mustard_."

"It's not him. He didn't break my bow on purpose. It's that Morpheus _freak_, James. He tripped Percy up, just to make my bow snap and get me mad. And I did."

Without waiting for an answer, I stomp off, clutching my broken bow to my chest and struggling not to cry. That bow was _painstakingly_ Artemis-crafted, meaning she scouted the woods for a branch, picked the most supple string from her collection of bowstrings (she has a lot), strung it and tested it herself before presenting the finished product to me. It was also how she taught me to make a bow myself. That thing took a total of 10hrs of blood, sweat, and not so much tears but _lots_ of pain.

Now it was broken because of some stupid guy whose only purpose was to make me mad. Artemis would think I didn't respect her gifts or something. Instead of rushing to my cabin like everyone expected, I swerved towards the woods. Now, if you're not a new camper, don't go to the woods at Camp Half-Blood. Some monster will jump out at you and you'll never be seen again. I, however, wasn't a 'new' camper.

Reaching a tree I had scouted out ahead of time to use, I expertly swing myself onto the first branch, reaching hand over hand until I reached a thick bough, high enough not to be spotted. Only then did I dare to inspect the bow.

It was cracked in half completely, the string being the only thing keeping it together. Tracing the break with my fingers, I could barely choke back a sob. I know it's silly to cry over a bow, but it was a gift from my best friend, and besides, now how was I supposed to practice archery? The bows at Camp Half-Blood were too big or too heavy for me to handle, since I was quite small for my age. Guess my body forgot to _grow_ while I slept.

"Hey," says a voice.

I almost fell out of the tree in surprise. Instead, I managed to catch myself and whirl to see the Demeter cabin's counselor, Katie Gardner. She was a hothead, like me, but a bit bossier. Whenever she talked, people listened, whether they liked it or not. "I came to see if I could help."

I blinked. "Huh?"

She gave me an eye roll. "The _bow_. I could try growing it back together." I hesitated, then gave in. I really wanted my bow back.

"Couldn't hurt to try," I said, handing my bow over. She stuck her tongue out in concentration and stared at it. After a moment's pause, the bow grew a set of tiny branches, curled around the break, and sealed itself back together. All that was left of the break was a slight bump of intertwined branches.

"There," Katie said in satisfaction. "All better."

Taking it up carefully, I gave it a pull. It stayed. "Thank you. Wonder how James will look when he sees it completely fine."

"Well, that will have to wait, _Ellie_. I have urgent news from the gods. The monsters are gathering fast, and you have been asked to stop them. Come. The campers are eagerly waiting for you to read the Prophecy ordained by the Oracle 30 yrs ago, when you fell unconscious."

Startled, we glanced down and saw Dionysus standing at the foot of the tree, disdainfully looking around the woods like it was a huge, ugly piece of lawn he'd been forced to step into. Katie and I slide down the tree, Katie looking confused while I looked grim.

"_Let's do it."_

I walked into the center of the campfire accompanied by Dionysus.

"Now, everyone, the gods have recently heard of a dangerous new threat, yadda, yadda. Elena is actually 30 yrs old, if you went by years." A few gasps and raised eyebrows. "She fell unconscious in 1980, and the Oracle ordained a Prophecy soon after she was taken to Olympus. Elena will now read the _terrifying_ prophecy."

He passed me the tiny sheet of paper with the Prophecy written on it, I didn't need it. Every word still came back to haunt me in my sleep, with dreams of monsters and the gods and an evil one. I closed my eyes and told the prophecy off by heart.

"_Monsters will destroy The West,_

_Unless this girl awakes from her rest,_

_Sent to kill the Olympians' foes,_

_She shall fall into her own death throes,_

_An evil one whom she befriends,_

_Watches her as the Fifth Age ends."_

Reopening my eyes, I see a sea of freaked expressions. Can't say I blame them, really. I mean, watches her as the Fifth Age ends? The Fifth Age was the Age of the Gods, and no one knew exactly how long that was going be. It sounded like I was going into an already doomed mission.

"This is why I am going alone."

"_What?_" shouted Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Chris in perfect unison. "Why?"

I shrug, uncaring. I was going to die, anyway. No need to drag someone into watching the gruesome spectacle. "This is my fight. Can't let anybody slow me down or get caught in the crossfire."

Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth protested while Chris and Clarisse try to stare me down in a contest of wills. After suffering a few moments (Could've almost turned me to stone, Chris' stare), I looked back at Chiron.

"If you're all so persistent, you choose. Who's gonna have the _great_ opportunity to watch me die firsthand?"

A pause.

I figured nobody wanted that role, but Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other all conspirator-like and said, en masse, "James."

I felt my mouth drop to the floor.

I must've looked really horrified, because Annabeth added, "Your conflicting styles and personality will really keep each other alive. You'll watch each other's backs."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain. James _will_ keep her alive, even though they'll probably kill each other arguing anyway," Clarisse chips in. Chris nods enthusiastically, adding his support. Freaked, I look to Chiron, who, after a moment's hesitation, agrees.

"Well, seeing you all agreeing on something for once, I give my consent. If James agrees?" he looks to the crowd, and sure enough, James appears, striding over with a smirk he seems to keep just for me.

"Sure. As long as I get to annoy the hell out of her along the way."

"No, you can't. I fact, you won't even be going on this trip. Why? _Because_ _I don't want you to_."

As usual, he seemed pretty amused by my anger. "What's wrong? Can't share the glory, _Princess_?"

I felt my blood run hot, and I only just managed to resist the urge to backhand him in the face, to kick him where it hurts.

"You know what? No. No, I can't share the glory. Because there isn't any in the _first place_. I'm going to _die_, you are going to watch along with this 'evil one', and the Fifth Age is going to freaking _end_. So you'll excuse me if I have no glory to share."

With that, I walk off, head high. It didn't last. I dropped into a crouch and hid behind some bushes as cover as soon as I was out of sight. Crawling expertly back, I peeked through the bushes and spy the campers disbanding, whispering among themselves. James was called back by Chiron. He waited in silence until the rest of the campers filed off to their activities.

"Yeah?"

Chiron hesitated, then gave him a half-smile. "I don't think Elena will let you tag along." James gave a harsh laugh.

"_You think?_ I could almost feel the flame coming off her. She doesn't even want me _alive_."

'Too true, James,' I thought.

He gave Chiron a reassuring smirk, that wasn't actually that reassuring to _me_. "Don't worry. She'll come around. I'll make sure of that."

I didn't like his tone. It was like he knew I was here spying. Chiron frowned, still unconvinced.

"Just watch her back for me. She may be an amazing fighter, but even the greatest can fall."

"Yes, sir."

Chiron pats James on the back, smiling. "Thank you, James." He galloped off, leaving James alone. I quickly make my way back to my cabin, careful not to let anyone spot me. Stuffing my still half-unpacked backpack, I gather my clothes and necessities while I plan my escape.

'It would have to be in the early morning. I won't risk the night. Those harpies will find me, training or no training.' I mused to myself.

Sitting on the bed for the last time in the months to come, I sigh. This was going to be a long and _terrifying_ quest.

I was sure of it.


	6. Undercover

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 6**

"Don't worry, James. I'll be fine. And this meathead is right. We'll see each other quite soon."

"To my son, a useful gift that will come in very handy soon. I foresee this."

"You know what? No. No, I can't share the glory. Because there isn't any in the _first place_. I'm going to _die_, you are going to watch along with this 'evil one', and the Fifth Age is going to freaking _end_. So you'll excuse me if I have no glory to share."

I woke up clammy and covered in sweat. I struggled out of bed sleepily, blinking hard and rubbing my forehead. The wall clock said 6:00 in the morning, and normally I would have gone right back to _Lalaland_ if Elena hadn't thrown one of her many tantrums yesterday and refused to have me as her quest buddy.

I had a feeling she wouldn't give in anytime soon about having me along, so she would be sneaking out early in the morning. Dressing quickly in my blue-grey T-shirt and black jogging shorts, I stuffed my jacket into my backpack, along with my notebook and pencil. Can't leave without those.

Swinging my backpack over my shoulder, I sneak out of my cabin. After posting a note to Chiron on the door, I stepped into the surrounding foliage and made my way over to the Nemesis cabin. Over the years I had honed my sneaking skills by playing pranks on the neighborhood boys who taunted me. Those bobble-heads never saw the huge pot of gunk that splashed over them coming.

_Creak_!

The door of the Nemesis cabin opened slightly, and Elena crept out in her black military boots, denim jeans and purple T-shirt with the moon on it. Her backpack and bow (which I had broken recently) was slung over her shoulder.

I watched as she glanced around suspiciously, not daring to breathe. Call me a sissy, but I did _not_ want to be staring down her arrow shaft. Fortunately, she didn't sense me.

Instead, she made her way down to Half-blood Hill, making sure Peleus didn't sound the alarm by giving the dragon a healthy slab of beef. When her back was turned, I crept up and tapped her on the shoulder.

I barely dodged the punch to the face as she whirled.

As it was, I fell to the ground, unharmed. When she noticed who I was, she backhanded me, but I didn't flinch. The slap was nothing compared to the abuse I'd gotten when I lived with my deranged mother.

"What are you doing here, Dorman?" she practically rasped.

"What are you?" I answer coolly. She seemed stunned for a moment, and I managed to get up. Dusting myself off, I walk over to the borderline, then dramatically paused. Looking back, I saw her proud face scowling at me.

"You coming? Didn't you say this was your fight?" I ask innocently.

Not missing a beat, she scowls, then picks up her fallen bow and stalks through the borderline. Giving Peleus a last affectionate pat, I follow.

We hailed a taxi to the bus station nearby. Riding most of the way in silence, Elena sat in the back while I sat shotgun, staring vacantly at the buildings and cars.

After a pause, the cabbie said, "You two seem a little young to be traveling alone." Elena opened her mouth to answer but I beat her to it.

"We're not. Our aunt's coming to visit, and since mom can't make it in person, we came instead. We've done this loads of times before."

Cabbie must've have bought it, because he nodded and didn't ask anymore questions. He dropped us off, and after bartering for a moment, agreed to pay _50%_ less than normal. Giving him the cash, Elena and I watched him drive off before she turned to me.

"_How_ did you get him to accept that little?"

"Just a talent." She rolled her eyes.

"James, it's not 'just a talent' if you can get him to pay _6 bucks_ for a taxi ride."

"Then what do you think, Princess? I waved my _magic wand_ and _bewitched_ him into giving us a discount?"

Shaking my head, I got our bus tickets (again, with discounts) and got on the next bus, Elena following. She huffed in frustration.

"How did you know I was going to sneak out this morning?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? You couldn't have done it at night; the harpies would have eaten you. And you certainly couldn't have done it after breakfast. So the only time was early morning." She quieted for a moment, and seeing she was in a pretty bad mood, I couldn't help but tease her.

The temptation was too much.

"I see your bow's fixed. Pity. I wanted to see if you would hold a ceremonial farewell for it or something. Maybe even a burial shroud."

She gave me a glare worthy of Clarisse, seriously thinking maybe she should just gut me here and now and be done with it. Maybe she would have, too, if it hadn't been for the horrible crunching sound that suddenly came from the top of the bus.

We looked up as a something large, hairy and sniffly wrenched the top of the bus open. A hellhound, its teeth all ripped and jagged from gripping the metal, gave a ferocious growl and leapt down into the bus. It got wedged between some seats, but a few wriggles and the seats ripped from their holds and crashed somewhere in the back.

The bus lurched to a stop, and I slipped my knives into my hands and waited, poised. All around me, passengers screamed and panicked, rushing for the doors. As the hellhound ripped up more seats, I ran across and sliced the hellhound along the side to distract it from passengers. The hellhound leaped round to face me, snarling in a frenzy.

"Here, Hairy! Here boy!" I taunted.

I saw Elena jump on one of the seats and suddenly, the hellhound's injured side sprouted half a dozen silver arrows. Enraged, the hellhound whirled to see who had dared shoot him. I thought she was a goner, but Elena picked another arrow from her quiver and shot the hellhound in the eye.

Point-blank.

Sniffy disintegrated with a yelp, melting into a puddle of darkness as Elena grinned.

"Oh sorry, did I ruin your 'hero' moment? I didn't realize, _Sandman_." Amazed though I was at her skills, I managed to coolly slide my blades back into my arm-straps.

"Not really. Personally, I was hoping you'd take the hint and kill it while it was distracted. Now I know you have teamwork edicate."

Without waiting for an answer, I step off the bus, pretending to stumble in my hurry. Looking around, I noticed a bus station nearby. All the mortals who'd been caught in the incident were heading to that bus station, apart from a few who were screaming about mutant dogs taking over the world and running in circles.

Or maybe they were just screaming.

Crossing the street, I was aware of Elena following close behind, with a slightly bewildered expression.

When she caught up with me, she asked, "What does edicate mean?" I raised my eyebrows at her, thinking she was teasing, but she looked plenty serious, her blue eyes curious. I sighed.

"Um, it's not a word. I just made it up. It's supposed to mean knowledge."

"Oh."

I'd never heard such a small voice, especially coming from her. Then she shook her head, her face expression changing from confused to exasperation in an instant.

"This is going to be a long journey, isn't it?"

"Probably."


	7. King of Beasts

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 7**

The stars seemed to smile down on us as we set up camp.

We were crashing out in a picnic spot somewhere in a park. I wasn't that miserable. I mean, I'd had loads of 'camping' trips while hanging out with Artemis overnight, so I knew what to do. James didn't seem so lost either, which I thought strange for a city-boy. When I finally got up courage to ask him about it, he seemed to ignore me. Maybe it brought up something in his past he didn't want to remember. I wondered what could be so horrible about a camping trip. I thought they were fun.

We sat down opposite each other, and I pulled out my bow and quiver, inspecting them carefully. _It's important to check your weapons whenever you have the time_, Athena had drilled me, _you might never have another chance anytime soon. _

Testing the point of each arrow was painstaking, in more ways than one. I even lost a flick of blood or two when I pressed too hard on one arrow point. James watched lazily as I started polishing my twin blades.

"Aren't you gonna do something other than watch me, Sandman?" He didn't answer, just flicked his knives out, grabbed a rag, and started polishing. He'd been really quiet after dark, as if reminded of something.

After a tense silence, broken only by the crackle of flame (yes, we did build a fire and no, we're not going to burn the park down), he asked, "So how exactly are we going to get to Frisco?"

Breathing on a stubborn spot on my hunting knife, I reply, "We run. Or walk, or jog. Take your pick." He gave me a sideways look.

"You aren't exactly the best at running anywhere." I ignored him. The truth was I sucked at running. I mean, I could run as fast as mortals, but when you're a demigod that's not enough. Not even close. Artemis had always teased me about it.

"You couldn't beat a nymph in its _tree_ _form_," she'd said.

Apparently deciding his blades were perfectly clean now, he slid then into his arm-straps, then rolled over and stretched like a cat. He even acted like one sometimes. I mean, he always watched people, he kept silent most of the time (unless he wanted to annoy me), and he always seemed to know what I was thinking even before I did it.

"Goodnight, Princess. Keep watch, won't you?" I gave him a look.

"I wouldn't trust you to look out anyway." He grunted in response, turned over, and within moments was snoring lightly. I shook my head.

_Boys_.

I continued to polish my blades, concentrating on a particularly obstinate spot of dirt. All of a sudden, I stopped. The back of my neck was tingling like crazy, which could mean only one thing: _monster_.

Gripping my knives, I stood up, careful not to wake James. With one expert kick, I doused the weakening flames. Creeping out of the picnic area, I took to the trees, searching for the intruder.

_Sniff, sniff_.

I froze. Looking down, I saw a cat. _A lion the size of a freaking tank_. The Nemean Lion. Stifling a gasp, I remembered the myth about Hercules strangling it to death. Well, no help there, I didn't have inhumanely strong hands. I quickly turned to go back to camp, but before I could, the branch I was holding snapped, and I fell into the undergrowth.

I managed to land on my feet, rolling to take the weight of the fall off my legs, but then the Nemean Lion came after me. I barely managed to spring out of the way before it made me into mincemeat. Narrowing its eyes, it looked at me like I was a willful piece of meat that refused to land in its mouth obediently.

I only noticed its back legs tensing when it was too late. I watched in horror as I leaped towards me, growling, then gave a confused mew as a knife scraped along its side and knocked it off course. Almost as suddenly, hands grabbed me and dragged me into the surrounding undergrowth.

"Idiot." James' voice was full of disdain.

As he set me down, I noticed one of his hands came away with liquid. The Lion had gotten me after all. One of my arms was nicked from the shoulder to the elbow, spewing blood. James wiped his hand on his shorts and grabbed one of my hunting knives.

"I'll take that."

Before I could argue, he was gone. I heard a yell, followed by a ferocious growl so deep it shook the ground.

"Hey Kitty!" I heard James taunt.

As the Lion growled again, I hoped James remembered that its skin was impenetrable. I don't remember how but I managed to struggle out into the open. I saw James dodging a mouthful of teeth, and then that mouthful looked straight at me.

With a pounce he closed the gap, stalking towards me slowly. I managed to throw the hunting knife, and it hit his nose, making it narrow its eyes like I just made things _personal_. I prepared myself as it charged and as I did, James threw his other knife. It managed to imbed itself in the Lion's ear, and the Lion turned.

I wanted to help, but I could hardly think from the loss of blood. I could only watch as the Lion charged. James, however, was prepared. He held my hunting knife out in front of him as he ran forward, intercepting the Lion's charge. He let go of the knife and slid, water-slide style, under the monster as it ate the blade and gagged uncontrollably.

I looked on as the Lion melted away like monsters always do. James finally reappeared under all that muck, eyes closed and lips pressed together tightly. When he opened his, he sat up and shuddered.

Brushing off the muck, he glared at me and yelled, "I told you to stay!"

"No you didn't!"

"Well you're supposed to have _common sense_! Wasn't the insult a _subtle_ clue that you were in no condition to fight?"

"If I hadn't come, you would have been _Meow Mix Special_, with minerals for _additional goodness_!" I yelled back.

For a moment, we just stared at each other in helpless rage, me clutching my arm and James half-covered in monster muck. Then he stood, and walked away without a word. I half-hoped he was coming back. My shoulder hurt badly, and I was slowly losing consciousness.

He did, stomping in with our backpacks and my bow and quiver. Still shaking in anger, he pulled out a pack of ambrosia cubes and tossed it to me, along with some gauze. I had no idea where he got them from, but I figured now wasn't the time to ask.

Fortunately, nothing had gotten in that might have infected it, since the blood was still flowing like the Niagara Falls. I patched myself up as James collected his knives and tried to rid himself of the monster muck which was still clinging stubbornly to his clothes.

He finally gave up when he couldn't get the stuff off his back.

"Let's go."

Shouldering his backpack, his stalked out of the clearing. I followed a little shakily, walking on still quivering knees.

Thankfully, he wasn't walking that fast.

We stopped at the same time, when Apollo rose to wake the world in his Maserati. It was when we saw an abandoned store named 'Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium.'

I vaguely remembered Percy and Annabeth relating the story of their first quest together, and how this place was home to Medusa the Gorgon, but we crept in anyway. I was tired, and James wasn't much better although I had to admit he had more stamina than me.

James pulled back his arms, and I knew he was sliding his hidden blades into his hands, ready to use. But as we wandered around the Emporium, it became clear there wasn't anybody home.

"Do you think she's hiding somewhere?" James finally asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean, she would want to greet us before killing us, right?"

James' eyes flicked around before he finally let his guard down. "I don't think she's here. She should have at least pounced on us by now. Maybe she's still dead."

Then a thought struck me. "Do you think she went to join Krios' army?"

James glanced back at me. "Maybe. In that case, we can stop here for now." I was so tired I didn't argue. I just picked the coziest looking spot in the Emporium and _crashed_.

James made no move to lie down. Instead, he leaned against a stone girl carrying flowers like Little Red Riding Hood and started polishing his knives. When he noticed me looking, he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"What? The last time you kept watch, things didn't go so smoothly. This time, I'm keeping lookout, whether you trust me or not."

I didn't feel like arguing so I nodded sleepily and drifted into Slumberland.


	8. Gift of the Gods

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 8**

I woke with a start as sunlight splashed all over my face.

I blinked, trying to regain focus, but the light just seemed to get brighter. I shifted to see Elena playing with the sunlight reflecting off her watch. She angled the spot of reflected light onto my face again as I sat up abruptly, rubbing my eyes with a grimy hand.

_Yuck_. It took two more tries to get the monster gunk off my face and hands. Elena looked on like I was a cute puppy trying to scramble around with its older brothers and sisters. She was already packed and ready, her _precious_ bow and her small backpack slung over one shoulder. I got up, grumbling. She knew I _hated_ being stared at. Grabbing my backpack with a final, affirmative grumble, I slung it over my shoulder and walked out of the Emporium without a backward glance.

We slowly jogged out into the lazy afternoon sun, heading straight west.

"Where are you going?" called Elena as I slipped my knives into my hands and sauntered out into the undergrowth. The woods were creaking with insects and it seemed peaceful. I wandered aimlessly, just letting my feet go where they wanted.

Apparently, they wanted to walk on concrete for a while instead of grass and dirt because they led me onto the main road, not more than 200m from our camp. Walking along it, I finally came across a closed convenience store, surrounded by bars and shady-looking businesses. ADHD kid I am, I walked straight towards it, ignoring the fact that it was closed and that the street didn't look so kid-friendly.

Seeing no one around that might sound the alarm, I slit the door lock with my knife and pushed them open. Call me a thief, but my stomach is a _slave driver_ when it comes to food. Scanning the shelves, I took some junk food (which never failed to bring me off a natural high) and some microwaveable food before turning to go.

Upon passing the counter, I hesitated. Grabbing my spare change, I tossed them on the counter and continued walking out the door. As I walked away from that place, I remembered my insane mother.

She used to drag me to places like this, making me wait outside while she partied into the night. She'd come out in the wee hours, punching me awake and wobbling back home, belting out million-year-old songs to the terrified birds.

I got to camp greeted by a flustered Elena.

"Where did you go?" she demanded as her hurriedly changed her hunting knives back into headbands, hoping I wouldn't notice her worry.

But you can't fool a kid who plays pranks for a living. Gods, she really likes worrying. First about Medusa joining Krios' army (why _wouldn't_ she?), now about me leaving for, like, 10mins.

"Scouting. Found a closed convenience store and took some stuff." I held out my 'stolen' goods and she gave me a glare worthy of Chris Rodriguez himself.

"_You stole?_" she said through clenched teeth.

"Whoa, Princess. I put my cash on the counter before leaving." She didn't relax. She knew I didn't have enough money to pay for all that stuff, but my stomach didn't care.

I was already picking out my funeral pyre designs and the kind of flowers I liked on my grave when I realized I knew that place. I'd never been there since it reminded me of alcohol and bad singing, but Grandfather's holiday cabin wasn't that far away. As well as a train that headed to San Diego every 5dys or so.

Elena was all ready to turn me into baby food when I said, ever so calmly, "I know this town. Grandfather's cabin isn't far. And next to it is a train station, where a San Diego-bound train departs every 5dys." She frowned, slicing and dicing forgotten.

"Do you remember an exact date on which it departed?" she asked. I gave her a date, not sure how it would help. I mean, she wasn't trying-

"That means it leaves tomorrow." I stared, stunned.

"_How_ did you figure that out?" She shrugged like she hadn't just performed an act of mathematics we demigods should never have been able to do. Unless you were a _really, really_ nerdy child of Athena.

"Simple math. Athena taught me a few tricks of the mathematician world."

"Yeah," I replied. "_Real_ simple." Then a sinking thought struck me. "How are we going to get the money?" She didn't seem to be too down about that.

"Leave it to me," she said with a confident smirk as she rummaged around in her backpack. Pulling out a phone covered in caduceus designs, she typed in the number 3 and pressed the 'call' button, explaining, "Landline of the gods. Gift of Hermes'." Moments later, Hermes answered.

"Hey, Elena! How's it going?" his voice was cheerful, but slightly forced. Elena smiled.

"Hi, Hermes. Listen, I know you're busy, but we need a favor. James tells me a train is leaving for San Diego tomorrow, but we're broke. Can you-

"Of course I can cash out on you! Anything for my favorite pupil. Here, I think I can estimate how much that ride will cost. Ah, here we go." We heard a beeping, and Elena sprang backwards from the force of the cash spewing from the phone's receiver. "Is that enough, you think?" came Hermes' voice. I picked up the phone.

"Um, yeah, Hermes. Thanks."

"Yes, well, I hope you get here fast." It was pretty subtle, but I could almost feel the anxiety billowing off him. Before I could ask how things were going over there, he disconnected. Elena started gathering up the bundles of notes as told her my suspicions.

She didn't respond, except for an eye twitch, which was all I needed to know that she was worried. But she feigned indifference as she rolled away from me and fell asleep.

We were waiting for the bus when it happened. I sketched random passengers as Elena twiddled her fingers idly. I don't know why, but she seemed to suffer from higher ADHD levels than most demigods because no sooner had we dumped our stuff she started pacing.

I watched her, eyes flicking back and forth as I sketched the outline of her body. She looked a little more relaxed in real life, but I was satisfied. From the stiff shoulders to the shuffling feet, she looked like a monster was going to pounce on her any moment and that by pacing she could somehow dodge it. I was about to show my sketch to her, watching her indignation as she realized it was her when I felt a weird presence.

"_Mew_?" I looked down as kittens crawled out of my seat and start playing in a perfect circle around us. That alone would have scared me, but these kittens had _2-inch fangs_ hanging from their upper jaws and pierced his brothers or sisters whenever they tried to bite each other. And the thing was they didn't get hurt. I saw one kitten chomp the other straight through the heart, and not a drop of blood flowed. The victim just carried on playing, eventually managing to grab his sibling's tail and rip it off.

I watched, horror-struck but fascinated, as the tail jerked itself out of the kitten's mouth, connected with the furry behind to which it belonged, and knitted itself back on.

"Um, _what_ are these?"

"I think they used to be a saber-toothed tiger's teeth"

"_Eh_?"

"You know, like skeleton warriors?" I remembered a story Percy told about his quest to Mt. Othrys in which the quest members were pursued by undying skeleton warriors. I also remembered what he said about a bunch of cuddly kittens that were accidentally created when a mortal took some saber-tooth tiger teeth instead of the Tyrannosaurus'.

"So, are these things evil?"

"I don't know. As far as I can tell, they're pretty harmless." One kitten tried to growl, but only managed a really _deep_ mew.

"Can they get bigger?"

"I dunno." Elena shrugged, then giggled as a kitten began batting at her shoelaces. It was slightly strange in its coloring, black with orange stripes. Elena smiled and picked it up.

"It looks cute!" I realized what she was getting at even before she did. I sighed, looking at the fuzzball with exasperation and amusement.

"Fine. As long as it can fend for itself, we can keep it." She glared at me like I just tried to poke her eye out, which would have been complete _suicide_.

"It's like, 5yrs old, doof. You think it survived on air?" I shrugged, resigned to taking care of a pet that was someone else, except that someone wouldn't have time for it.

"That would be nice. Then we don't have to hunt for rabbits or whatever." She might have gotten the kitten to poke me in the heart if the train hadn't come at just the right time. She quickly stuffed it down the front of her shirt, uncaring of the scratches she would get (or the holes, for that matter) and tossed her pack over her shoulder.

"If we're keeping that thing, what are we supposed to call it?" She thought for a moment.

"Flame."


	9. Day of Dreams

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 9**

We spent the next two days pacing like wild cats and playing _with_ a wild cat.

Flame was adorable, even with the vampire-like fangs. He gamboled and rolled and just got into everyone's way. I had a hard time conjuring Mist to mask the fact that pets weren't allowed on the train, but other than that, the mortals were simply delighted to have an endearing kitten napping on their lap. James and I found out that Flame had a _voracious_ appetite. James had to sneak into the dining carriage every half-hour. The first few times he grumbled and moaned, but after Flame cuddled up to him and worked his way through James' wall of indifference, he was more than happy to slink into the dining carriage unnoticed and grab a healthy chunk of beef jerky.

Another thing I noticed about James is his _obsessive_ love of drawing. He actually sat down and 'reviewed' his sketches for a _whole_ _afternoon_. I suffer from higher ADHD levels than most demigods, but even the Athena kids couldn't have pulled it off. He keeps his sketchbook under arm and key, so I only got glimpses of the outlines of pegasi, cabins, even a couple monsters.

Flame simply adores him, which is ok by me. I guess was starting to understand him and his detached self, always there but never coming into the foreground. I don't think he likes the spotlight, which is strange because the most common weakness of us demigods is hubris, or deadly pride. Heck, I suffered from it.

I watched as Flame ambled over to the window where James was frowning over Porkpie's '_slightly_ too large on the side' head. James patted Flame awkwardly, chatting quietly to himself (a trait of genius, so I am told), and stared hard at his drawing, as if doing so he could change it to look _just_ the way he wanted.

I thought the only ones who paid attention to such details were the _Aphrodite girls_.

He finally gave up and looked around for an interesting specimen. Grey-brown eyes blinked at Flame, who was now fighting an imaginary foe.

His hands seemed to jerk into action and I watched in fascination as sheet after sheet of paper fell to the ground, depicting Flame snarling, pouncing. He finally stopped, looking skeptically at his flipbook collection. Picking a few up, he scrutinized them, changing a line here and a curve there.

The sketches were captivating, with Flame dodging and gnashing his teeth, lunging back and forth. He caught me watching and gave me his trademark know-it-all smirk.

"Blinded by my gift of the arts?" I rolled my eyes.

"Hardly. In fact, I was wondering how you could draw so _horribly_."

"Think you could do better, Princess? Let me show you a sketch I made just for you." He flicked through his notebook and tore out a page, handing it to me smugly. I took it, and felt my jaw drop.

It was me, in perfect likeness, _asleep_.

I felt my hands automatically reaching for his throat. He dodged like a gazelle, laughing.

"What's wrong, Princess? Your dignity just took a dive?" I did my best '_I'm-going-to-kill-you-nothing-personal'_ stare. He didn't flinch, didn't even blink. He just took his sketch back and starting collecting his outlines of Flame.

I fumed, watching a group of centaurs go galloping by. We occasionally saw monsters and mythological creatures hunting. Except now the monsters were always traveling one way: west, where Krios was calling them. The thought made my blood boil.

I looked down at James, and I must've looked _furious_ because he raised his eyebrows high and said, "Whoa, Princess, don't go killing innocent mortals now." I snorted.

"Don't worry. They'll just wear me down and I won't be able to focus on taking down Krios." He gave me a '_wacko-much_' look, tailor made just for me. I glared right back.

"You think I like worrying?"

"Could've fooled me."

I was about to dive for his throat again when he asked, totally off topic, "So what are the gods like? Personally?" I narrowed my eyes but relented.

"Well…they're nice. They're really passionate about what they stand for. Like Artemis adores the Hunt, Hestia's all about family and fire, Hermes just loves traveling the world and playing tricks. Stuff like that. They're really just very powerful beings with simple mind-sets." James fell silent, like he always did after asking a question.

"Feel like playing a game?" I narrowed my eyes, but his face wasn't twitching.

_Curse_ his inner thief-ness.

"What kind of game?" I asked, cautiously.

"A reality show kind of game, except it's about Greek Mythology."

"Ok, so how do we play?"

"It's easy. One of us starts by naming someone from Greek Mythology. The other lists 22 things about that person. If you can't think of 22 things, you lose." I raised my brow, mirroring one of his looks.

"Why 22 things?"

"Why not?" I thought for a moment.

"Alright. Let's play, Sandman."

We spent the next two hours playing. I usually won, but James wasn't that bad. He even fooled me once, making up a Greek name and telling me that it was a minor demigod.

He barely darted out of the way when I lunged for his throat. As it was, he managed to lock himself in the bathroom, laughing like a toddler who'd just raided the cookie jar. It took him a full 5 minutes to recover. Flame was busy trying to figure out why his food-stealing buddy wasn't there at the agreed time.

As James left to his stealing routine with a final snigger, I sat down, fuming. He came back with a straight face, although it was 'brighter' than his usual look. I didn't talk to him the rest of the afternoon. The silence finally got to me when he started polishing his blades by the window seat with an innocent look on his face.

"So, what's your family like? Your mortal family." He gave me an exceptionally poisonous look that said '_why_ did you have to ask?' Finally he exhaled and relented.

"Mom's an alcoholic. She's crazy and has delusional fits. My childhood was spent living with a lunatic that dragged me to bar at night, partied to morning, and then punched me just to say 'Good Morning'. She got into a bar fight one morning and Grandfather got custody of me. He home-schooled me, brought me up, took me camping. Then _psycho-mum_ called. She wanted me to go to school like normal, _stuck-up_ kids. I went there for 2mths, then got expelled and as we got home, I was claimed."

He stopped for breath, reliving memories. "We got to camp as fast as we could, but it wasn't enough. Grandfather was kidnapped the night I got to camp. A manticore took him, said to come to the Master. Whoever he is." He stared into the distance for a moment before continuing to polish his already glistening knives. I didn't say anything. James struck me as the kind of guy who didn't like looking weak, didn't like sympathy.

"He's still alive." He whispered, almost to himself.

"Who?" He looked at me like I was a little slow. And maybe I was.

"Grandfather. At least, barely. That's what the dreams keep showing. I think I can control them or something."

"Makes sense. Your dad _is_ the god of dreams." He paused, debating whether to say something else.

"I think I can also see others dreams."

"Huh?" He took a deep breath and looked me in the eye, his grey-brown eyes piercing.

"I saw Artemis, and you, running away from monsters. You tripped and twisted your ankle. The monsters caught up with you and you screamed and woke up." I shuddered. He'd given a perfectly accurate retelling of the nightmare I'd had last night.

"That was _freaky_. Worst one I've had." He looked thoughtful.

"I only saw the dream you had yesterday. Maybe that's because I wondered what you were dreaming about before I went to sleep." I nodded, absorbing this new information with the coolness of Athena.

"So you can control when you see others dreams. Tonight, try if you can see what I'm dreaming about _when_ you're asleep." He gave an almost imperceptible nod, but I'd gotten better at seeing his microscopic expressions and twitches.

Flame, now well fed, jumped boldly onto James lap and started batting his open hand around. We watched, not saying a thing to each other. Flame crawled onto my lap and yawned widely, showing off his gleaming white fangs. He curled up into a perfect ball and promptly started snoring. James smiled, a rare look that made his face shine.

He closed his eyes and reached his favorite place in the world: _Lalaland_. Baffled at the time it took James to fall asleep, and felt myself drifting into my own restless slumber.

I dreamt I was being lectured by Krios. Strange scenario, but he was doing a speech about taking over the world which all evil villains feel inclined to do. But I got the feeling he wasn't talking to me, but to another person.

"After you collect the elder-python venom from the Lake of Despair, return to camp immediately. Do NOT let anyone see you." The dream was murky, so I could only make out Krios' shape, distinguishable by his over-sized horns as well as a smaller form.

"Like anyone's gonna be awake at that point. Relax, _Sir Shiny_." The new voice was sullen and surly, like Krios was lecturing him about homework and poor grades.

"I will not have anyone call me _Sir Shiny_, _demigod_. The only reason you are still alive is because the other one has not yet arrived to serve me. But he will soon. Remember that." There was a silence, followed by the unknown demigod-who was certainly male-clicking his boot heels impolitely and walking off.

Krios turned, his eyes the color of starlight. It would've looked pretty if it hadn't been so _malevolent_.

"So, you have managed to spirit yourself here. I was expecting another, but no matter." His quiet, ruthlessly controlled voice made him sound sinister. I shivered. He stared at me and smiled. "You have heard the Prophecy, yes? Are you not in the least dispirited? And evil one betraying your trust, your precious Fifth Age ending. Everything so hopeless. Like your position." He chuckled softly.

He was right, but Percy's position had seemed just as hopeless, and he still prevailed. I couldn't lose hope, the gods were counting on me, and I couldn't betray my friends. But it still tugged at my thoughts.

Krios sensed my uncertainty and added, "Do the gods really care, Elena?" With that thought, he vanished. I found myself in the Council of the Gods. As usual, my friends were arguing, but this time over serious matters.

"We should take charge while we can-

"No, hands off during a mortal quest!"

"But this could be more than the mortals can handle-

"I trust in our children's abilities." Their voices never rose, but the words were flying fast and furiously. Finally Father Zeus rumbled for silence.

"I thank you for your opinions, but we have yet to hear Hermes' report on the situation at Mt. Othrys." He motioned towards Hermes, who twitched nervously. I'd never seen Hermes so freaked about talking front to the gods, but he looked plenty scared now. I wanted to comfort him.

"Yes. The situation is quite grim. Many monsters have pledged their alliance to Krios. Among them are the feared Skeleton Warriors and a legion of Lydian Drakons.

Everyone shivered, and I heard Artemis whispering, ever so softly, "Be careful, Elena."


	10. Hunter and Hunted

**The End of the Fifth Age Ch. 10**

"Come on, Elena," I called over my shoulder as Elena struggled to get her stuff together. She only had a backpack, but what with Flame expertly wriggling through her legs and trying to unload her stuff, she was cussing out in Greek under her breath. Loads of stuff about underpants and Hermaphrodite. For you non-demigods types out there, Hermaphrodite is the god(ess?) of bisexuality. He's the son of Aphrodite, but, ahem, _merged_ with a nymph when he refused to be seduced by her.

After a few more moments of watching Princess stumble around like a goat, I stepped in. Dragging Flame from under Elena's legs, I plopped him down the back of my shirt.

"Move it, Princess. I'm feeling exceptionally kind today, so I'll probably be snappy tomorrow." Elena straightened up and cocked her brow, looking like Han Solo.

"Snappy, is that what you call it? I can think of better words, Sandman." She pushed past and stalked off like a real princess, late for a _ball_. I don't quite know why, but I cracked up at that thought, staggering to the platform. I ended up on the floor of the train station, with Zeus knows how many mortals watching. I was on my side when Flame decided to wriggle out of my shirt, mewing. The mortals nodded, convinced that was the reason I was having a spasm attack, and carried on with their lives. Princess tapped her foot.

"Ok, you've had a good laugh. Now can we move on?" I smiled up at her stormy face, then flipped myself over and did what Annabeth called 'push-up-stand-up'. Princess just gave me a look and folded her arms. I grinned mischievously, enjoying it.

"Say, how's about we take a visit to Sea World? No sense in missing it."

"What's Sea World?" I was about to go on a whole rant, like _'What- you-don't-know-what-Sea-World-is!'_ when I remembered she had been pulled out of time for 30 years.

"It's a, place where people go to see sea creatures perform. It's really cool, they train-

"_Perform_?" Her voice was so shrill it might have broken metal. "_Perform?_ Why would they force animals to perform for some stuck-up rich kid! Animals are supposed to be free!" I'd never seen her so rattled.

"Hey, it's not necessarily performing, they have enclosures and people come to just watch them play."

"More like _pace_." I ignored her.

"Well, I'm going to see that 'despicable' place. You can either walk around the city aimlessly, or you can follow me to the _belly of the beast_, or so you say it is." She looked outraged, but slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Uff, fine. I don't have a better plan anyway." Smiling at the easy victory, I hooked my thumbs into my pockets and clicked for Flame.

"This is Sea World?" I shrugged, just as amazed. Sea World was huge. Bigger than my Grandfather's mansion. Flame licked his lips, excited. He must've smelt all the fish.

"Come on, let's go in. I bet the inside's better than the outside." We got tickets and as soon as I got within sight of the first animal, I jerked my notebook out and sketched page after page of animals. At this rate I was gonna have to get a new notebook.

Thanks to my ADHD, I was able to keep an eye on where Elena was wandering to and if Flame was anywhere near my feet when I stepped. There are times when heightened battle senses really come in handy, but the real reason we demigods have them are _not_.

Especially when a monster dude decides he would like half-immortal blood for his dinner.

I was already halfway through my remaining notebook space when I noticed I'd lost Elena. At least Flame hadn't run off. He was sniffing at the orcas' enclosure and trying to intimidate them with his teeth.

_Bam!_

Something slammed into my back and I went for my knives, only to find a freaked Elena, her blue eyes wide.

"James! You're still here!"

"Yeah, I haven't moved much, Princess. Where have _you_ been, _Miss-How-Dare-They-Keep-These -Animals-Here?_ Admiring the environments we keep these creatures in?"

For once she wasn't offended. Instead, she seemed even more freaked, but it shouldn't have been possible. She glanced around furtively and I figured we had one of those monster dudes on our tail.

"Which way?"

"I…don't know."

"What? Use your Nemesis senses and figure a way out of here before-" A crash sounded behind us, and we turned in time to see a horrific sight; 6 fully armed Skeleton Warriors, complete with machine guns and those stick-thingies. Batties? Batons, that's it.

We glanced at the mortals, going about their daily lives. No help there. Together we turned and Elena frantically whistled for Flame, a signal we'd taught him as 'Drop everything and _run_.' Weaving through the mortals, we pushed and shoved our way right into a dead end.

Our backs to the bottlenoses, we waited as the Skeleton Warriors advanced on us. Then, instead of shooting at us point-blank like I'd thought, they ran.

At me.

Just before they got me, a bright red shape slammed full force into the ranks of Skeleton Warriors. _Flame_. Army-tank size and fangs to match, he snatched up the first Skeleton Warrior and closed his mouth.

_Snap! _

I winced as bones scattered. Snap after painful snap resonated as Flame clamped down, until all but 2 Skeleton Warriors stood. Seeing their comrades falling, they turned tail and ran. I expected the Warriors to put themselves back together, like Percy mentioned during the campfires, but they didn't.

Then everything quieted down like someone had pressed the 'mute' button. We shakily pulled ourselves together, and Flame shrank back to the size of a cute kitten with oversized fangs. He bounded over to the remains of one of the Warriors and started sinking his fangs into the marrow. Elena was the first to speak.

"Let's…let's get out of here." I nodded and tried to take a step, but stumbled and fell face first onto the dirt. Elena raised an eyebrow but stooped to help me up all the same. Her hands came away smeared with blood.

"Knucklehead. You didn't even know you were _bleeding_?" I managed a shaky smile.

"It seemed…irrelevant." She rummaged in her backpack and came up with a packet of ambrosia and some green gunk. "Um…I don't have to eat that stuff, right?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, stupid, it's for your wound." It took only a few moments to patch me up, but Hades did it _hurt_. Princess didn't make it any better by rolling her eyes every time I twitched.

"There, done. Don't expect me to give you a sweet for being a brave boy."

The next few hours were spent walking aimlessly around the city, checking out the sights. Elena stayed silent, but I guessed something about our civilization bothered her.

Probably the fact we live in such oppressed, smelly, loud, _polluted_ areas.

We spotted a fast food diner and decided to stop for a snack. After ordering a meal fit for a king, the door opened and the sun came in.

The latest men's wear, looks that would've made Robert Pattinson sparkle in jealousy, and teeth that should've had a label: Do not stare directly at teeth. Severe blindness _will_ occur. Elena glanced up and back down at the menu, hardly seeming to care. Then I realized why.

"Is that…Apollo?" I whispered.

"Yep," she said, not looking up. Smiley-I mean Apollo-saw Elena and grinned. He came over, pushing past the waitress and seating himself beside Elena.

"Hey Fred," she said, totally at ease.

"Elena! What are you doing in the city?"

"Sightseeing."

"Awesome, girl. Chilling for once?"

"Are you kidding? This is only a temporary stop."

"Ah," Apollo smiled, making me squint. He turned to the waitress. "I'll pay for everything they ordered, dear," he said. The waitress nodded enthusiastically and left.

"Fred, you sure? We ordered a lot." Elena finally looked up from the menu, brows raised.

"I _saw_, sweetheart, and I suppose most of it's for cuddly there?" Apollo pointed at Flame.

"Uhuh."

"Wait," I interrupted, "how do you know we had Flame?" Apollo turned to look at me.

"Well dude, I'm the All-Seeing Apollo, you know. I know a _lot_."

"Sadly, most of that knowledge consists of the latest fashion trends," smirked Elena.

"It's useful! Fashion will save your life 1 day," protested Apollo, playing innocent.

"Sure. What if it kills me?" Elena stared at Apollo, a silent challenge.

"That means it's _deadly_!" I watched the banter like someone would watch a tennis match.

"Um, excuse me, but I would like to mock Princess too." Apollo glanced at me, grinning.

"Sure, dude. You can be on my side." I wrinkled my nose, snorting.

"The _'fashion-will-save-your-life'_ side? No thanks." The jokes flew back and forth until Apollo finally asked what we were really doing.

"We have no idea, Fred. We're so close to San Francisco but we have no way there." Apollo smiled again. His teeth should've been made into a flashlight.

"No problem girl, Sis is in the area. I'll see if she can spare a ride." Elena all but squealed in delight.

"Artemis is _here_? That's great! OM-"

"-Gs." I glanced at Apollo, grateful and apprehensive, "Thanks, Apollo."

Nothing in the world could have prepared a guy for a visit to the Hunters. With sleek tents and a pack of wolves as guardians, not to mention the creepy amount of hunting falcons, it was surreal. First off, it was not too hot, or too humid. It was just the kind of temperature you would never thought _existed_ in the forest. Next, the tents were covered with so many animal skins an animal rights activist would have gone into a coma. Lastly, the Hunters moved so gracefully _deadly_ that you couldn't help but watch and wish you could move like that too. Then they'd notice you watching and you'd find yourself with antlers and a craving for grass shoots.

Artemis and Elena had a reunion quite lacking in the tears department, but I suppose Huntresses don't cry. A tough-looking girl with a Death to Barbie T-shirt and an out-of-place tiara of some sort stood by. After the reunion, the girl introduced herself as Thalia, Lieutenant of Artemis and Daughter of Zeus. She'd been jokingly called 'Percy's twin' at camp, since the two of them acted _exactly_ the same the way.

Artemis looked happy to see her BFF again, but at the same time something about her face screamed, 'problem.' She finally invited us to her personal tent, and as soon as we were all inside, I blabbed.

"Milady, is there something wrong? Are we too late to stop Krios?" I knew it was against the Hunters' rules to speak uninvited to Artemis, but the look she had on her face was scary. I don't think I'll ever see a god look more worried.

"It's not looking too good, James. We've never seen so many monsters in one place since the last Great War. I would feel better if we accompanied you to Mt Othrys." I nodded. The request wasn't something many demigods got, and I figured we would need it if Artemis was offering.

"Thanks for the offer, Artemis, but we'll be fine. Just keep an eye on the rest of the area in case they plan a surprise attack." I glanced at her curiously, but Artemis beat me to it.

"You fear an ambush?"

"Yes. Surprise _is_ an important element in battle."

"Fine. But at least let me provide you with an escort. My reindeer have been quite twitchy anyway."

"Thanks Arty. One more thing. Could Flame stay with the Hunters for a while? At least until you join the war?"

"That would be our pleasure," Thalia said, smiling. We piled into the chariot and Artemis raised her hand in a salute.

"Hey, Princess, I think we're here."

Elena stirred and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When she looked, she grimaced.

"What clued you in, Sandman, the swirls of Mist? Almost feels like Ziost in Star Wars." She shook her head. I stuck my tongue out at her. She was getting at little _too_ good at witty insults and comebacks.

She didn't notice. She was staring at the top of Mt. Othrys, hand to her mouth in shock. I looked. What I saw was black smoke, but not so dense I couldn't see the countless ranks of monsters, all waiting for a battle.

"Oh _crap_."


	11. Bait

**At Fifth Ages' End Ch. 11**

"Stop hyperventilating. You're using up my oxygen," snapped James as I gulped in breath after breath of precious oxygen. Trying to pretend the view was a sort of illusion.

"What's our plan of action?" I was so intent on the monsters below that he had to scream.

"I don't know! Why are you asking me?" I screamed back.

"_I don't know_? Maybe being great friends with the gods, like Athena-!" he choked on a plume of smoke rising from the army below, and continued, rasping, "-you would have made a plan to deal with all this, this gunk!" Choking, we descended onto the ground, just hidden by a crag near the peak. I thanked the reindeer and let them go, intoning the Wild blessing that helped animals find a permanent home.

James was glowering like it was all _my_ fault he had wanted to go on this quest.

"You didn't have to come," I told him defiantly. He glared some more.

"I was _asking_ if you had a plan yet."

"I'm not Athena. I don't make battle plans up in the blink of an eye."

"I could settle for a few hours." He sat down, stretching like a cat. A long moment passed. "Have you started, Princess? Don't seem to be any violent thoughts crossing your mind."

"Does there have to be?" I asked, irritated. He shrugged.

"Well, unless you plan on somehow kidnapping Krios." He stopped, frowning in thought.

"Unless?" I probed.

"Unless there is a way to neutralize Krios without fighting him. Like use his weakness against him or something. It works in videogames." He grinned ruefully. I scowled back.

"This isn't _anything_ like a videogame. We don't have extra lives."

"Yeah, but it's easier in real life cos you don't need to increase your experience." I sighed and sat down next to him. I traced a black line set in the stone and tried to think of a plan.

After a moment, "I'm having no Eurekas. Can we sneak in now?" He sighed.

"No. I won't let you drag me into that pot of sewer. You have to die but I don't. I just get to watch, remember?" Cold fury filled my mind to the point where I couldn't see clearly.

"So you're just gonna let me die? Don't you _care_?" Only 30 years' worth of mind-numbing control kept my voice below normal. My Nemesis instincts raised an outcry. _Stop that_, I told them. A silent battle ensued as they continued to clamor.

"Earth to Elena Sinal. May I have your attention, Princess? Your escort is waiting in the throne room." I snapped back to reality, to see James with his head cocked to one side. He jerked his head to one side, indicating a figure behind him. My sight cleared and I saw Hermes' blue mailman uniform, complete with a mailbag.

"Hi Hermes." I smiled wryly.

"Elena! You came! With all your limbs, bonus!" He kept his voice down to a whisper, but he was smiling. I stuck out my tongue and James' mouth dropped.

"Aren't you not allowed to do that?" his expression asked.

"Depends." I turned to Hermes. "How's things?" Hermes' expression dimmed.

"Not that great." James sniffed.

"_Optimist_," he accused. Hermes smiled.

"When you're as old as I you'll won't think so," he told James, who snorted.

"Wish I _could_." Hermes grinned at him and turned back to me.

"They are gathering fast. Monsters are amusing themselves with raids on San Francisco. By my estimate they should be leaving in no more than a week."

"That's not good," James commented. I glared at him.

"What was it you said about Hermes being an optimist?"

A few more minutes of discussion and we decided to scout the area before coming up with a plan. Hermes directed us to an entrance, covered in weeds and insects that would have sent any Aphrodite girl squealing. I gave Hermes a quick hug goodbye before dragging James, deploring his goodbye to sunlight, down into the corridor.

We crept along, eyeing all the gruesome pictures depicted on the walls.

"_Nemean Lion dust_!" said a fierce but quiet voice. I stopped and waited as James hopped in front of me, clutching his right foot and cussing viciously.

I curled my mouth slightly and walked past him, calling, "You coming, Sandman?" He limped along, overtaking me. He was going so fast he skidded around a corner-

-and dead stopped. I plowed into him, cursing in Greek.

"_What in Tartar_-"

"Grandfather," James' voice trembled, and I peeked past him to see monsters glaring.

"_Flesh-eating horses_," I muttered in Greek. Dragging James backward, I set off down the corridor. With my free hand I pulled a hairband off and twirled the blade. Tampered celestial bronze with a touch of Stygian Iron gave it a strange shade of silver. James slammed his sneaker into my heel cruelly and I stumbled, giving him time to face me.

"What are you doing? Grandfather's back there. I don't care if you run away but dragging me along is _not_ acceptable." He whirled and I took the chance to grab his collar. We stumbled down a few more corridors before I changed direction.

A tingling feeling had surfaced at the back of my back, which either meant I needed to scratch it or my 'heightened senses' had hit something. A few more turns and I scored jackpot; an assortment of monsters with a dark, glittering form.

I winced. Ducking behind an old vase, I pressed myself against it and tried to listen in.

"Great, now she's pretending to be James Bond. What next, Nancy Drew?" hissed James venomously, rubbing at his neck. I ignored him, straining to hear the conversation.

"How are we going to invade camp if we can't pass through its borders?"

"Kronos did, there must be some sort of potion-"

"Kronos failed, nitwit!"

"You _dare_ call me nitwit, you muffle-brained musket whose mother was-" I cringed as the monster switched to Greek, indulging in colorful oaths.

"What is it with Greek swearwords and Hermaphrodite?" James murmured. Before I could reply, Krios' roared. I used to think of Krios as harmless, but how had that changed.

"Silence," he intoned gravelly, "I have everything under control." Angry voices broke out, the foremost of which I vaguely remembered from my childhood.

"Then tell us, _Krios_, how we are going to storm the gods' beloved camp? Or do you intend to 'play it by ear', as mortals say?" the voice shouted.

"That's the manticore that captured Grandfather!" whispered James. I clamped my hand over his mouth, more to stop him from rushing out than to quiet him down.

"Yeah, he killed Dad and he's called Dr. Thorn. Doesn't mean we rush out to kill him. We've got to wait for a better time." The fire in James' eyes didn't die out; it got bigger.

"After he's killed a bunch of other people? Yeah, that'll be a _great_ time," he choked out.

"A great time to what?" asked a growl. We whirled together to see 2 grotesque half-human-half-bear twins standing over us, fuzzy stuffed teddies in jeans and the faces of men. I wondered what kind of child would like a teddy bear-man.

Sid from Toy Story?

"Heheh! Demigods! Lunch! Heheh!" snorted one.

The other stared at him and said dangerously, "Orieus, shut _up_. Go punish yourself." Orieus shrank back and whimpered. The other bear-guy glowered until he shuffled over to the far corner and started to wall-slam his head. Beside me, James wrinkled his nose.

"How often does he do that? Does it, like, make his forehead flatter?" Despite the dire circumstances I was tempted to slap him into oblivion. It would save the monsters the job.

"Ah, the boy is here. Come, James, let us talk business." The whole room looked back at him blankly. Then a female voice spoke up.

"What trickery is this, Krios?" Krios glanced irritably at the monster, who was a cross between the Boogey Man and Ursula. You know, the octopus witch from _Little Mermaid_?

"If it was, Lamia, you would have ruined it." He turned his starlit eyes onto James.

"My boy, come. I have a proposition for you."

"Then I suggest you be ready to pay some cold cash, sir," said James, stepping forward with hands in pockets. My mouth dropped open. He was _not_ siding with the enemy. He scuffed my foot as he passed, pointing towards the exit in an imperceptible gesture.

Oh.

'_Duh_,' I thought. I got ready to run as James walked up to Krios. He spread his arms wide.

"Yammer away, sir." Krios smiled like a wildcat toying with its prey.

"Firstly, you know we have your grandfather alive. We could end that." James flinched, and blood drained from his face. I knew as well as Krios that he'd hit a raw nerve.

So he continued. "So my proposition is this; help me, and your grandfather lives. Don't, and let's just say it won't be pretty." He waved at the other bear-guy.

"Take them away, Agrius. I'll give the boy a night to decide."

"What about the girl, sire?" asked Agrius. Krios pondered with agonizing slowness.

"Perhaps," he mused thoughtfully, "she could convince James to pick the _right choice_."

'Note to self: Never do _anything_ to James' grandfather,' I thought. James was almost hysterical, swearing non-stop in both Ancient Greek _and_ English. I wondered if I'd missed 'Cuss it Out in Greek' class at camp or something. It certainly seemed like it.

"Do you have anything to add to that!" he yelled in my face. I pretended to be bored, turning over my hands like I'd seen Aphrodite do during her lectures about _love_.

"Nope, I think you got them all," I said. He was silent; for once the great master was speechless. Then I realized he was staring at the walls in shock.

"What now? Did your brain get concussion from too much swearing?" I sighed. _Guys_.

"Hey…how big is this place?" he asked. I noted his face had turned white. Again.

"It's as big as 2 closets. Why?"

"Um… nothing," he managed. I stared at him disbelievingly.

"Pfft. And I'm Aphrodite." Again, he didn't reply. Then the answer hit me like a wave.

"You're claustrophobic," I said, almost smiling. I mean, he barely bats an eyelid about the Prophecy but starts whitening in a tight spot? It was almost surreal. But then, James could never be openly rattled if he had this crazy fear of tight places.

I knew James would be out of commission here, so I eyeballed the door. It was rusty, but I didn't want to risk the crash if I kicked it down. Instead, I drew my knife (they didn't take both of them) and inspected the hinges.

"Mmh," I said, chewing at my lip. "Hey Sandman, lend me one of your knives?" He threw the blade without question. So much ammo for teasing and I didn't take it. _Dang_. I fiddled with the hinges and grinned when one cracked. The next one was even easier.

"Yo, Sandy, help me move this. Quietly." Pretty soon the door was wide open. I don't think I'd ever seen James move so fast. After a full breath, he turned and glared.

"_Sandy_?" I shrugged.

"I have a rep. Let's go find your granddad."

His cell was horrible. It was even smaller than ours. James' granddad sat in steely silence as a group of telkhines took turns jabbing him with a stick. They sneered at him, pushing their ugly butts (or were they faces?) through the cage bars and snarling maliciously.

James' didn't even hesitate; he was charging before I even finished looking at it. I didn't even have to move. The boy was just all over the place, slashing, jabbing, thrusting.

All I did was blink in surprise and James had slashed through the lock and was swinging the door open, breathing hard. I gave a low whistle in admiration.

"_Nice_. But you should still raise that guard a touch."

"Who asked you?" he said, helping his granddad to his feet. Even in the dim light you could see the resemblance; high cheekbones, closely-set eyes, a strong mouth. I wondered if Morpheus looked like that too. It would certainly fit the picture.

I smiled at James' granddad and said, "Hi. I'm Elena. Elena Sinal."

"Ah. That girl from Olympus?" I wrinkled my nose slightly.

"That's exactly what James said." He laughed and extended his hand.

"Michael Dorman. Call me Michael."

"No fair," protested James. I shook Michael's hand.

"I'll call you Grandfather, if that's alright. I fear for my own safety."

"Apparently not enough," grinned James, leading us down a hallway.

We almost made it.

"Stop, mortals," slithered a voice. I grimaced.

"Someone needs a toothbrush," I muttered to James.

"2," he replied. A grotesque face, serpentine body, and a waist full of necks. Luckily she didn't have her sword. Annabeth and Percy _had_ mashed it up pretty good.

"Distract her," I hissed to James, a vague idea forming. If the necks were long enough…

"With pleasure," he replied, unsheathing knives.

"Excuse me, miss, but-_Oh my gods_! What kind of toothpaste do you _use_! That is gross!" I giggled to myself as Kampé shrieked in fury. He _was_ good.

As the big face was busy with James, I sneaked towards the smaller ones. Poking each to get their attention, I began a taunting game of my own.

"I bet you'd be helpless if it wasn't for _her_," I pointed at the major face. They snarled, and though my insults weren't as good as James', lurched at me. I stepped back, laughing.

"See? You can't move more than inches in any direction. Can't catch me, huh? Wimps." Spittle flew; fortunately they missed. As one, the heads leapt, straining to bite me.

I shifted to the left and soon, all heads were twisted around Kampé's legs, straining.

I risked yelling, "James!" He understood; he almost always does.

"Hey, lady," he yelled, backing up, "Can you look in a mirror, or do they all break from the shock?" Kampé screamed and tried to take a step, falling flat on her face as the animal faces stretched and snapped off her waist.

_Twip_.

I retched; the sound effects hadn't helped my stomach juices.

"Come on, Princess. That crunch would have woken zombies." I straightened and nodded.

"Coming, Sandman."


	12. Betrayer?

**At Fifth Age's End Ch. 12**

"Rise and shine, Sandman. Bedtime's been over for hours."

I yawned lazily, not opening my eyes. "Mmh," I grunted, "How's Grandfather?"

"That's why I woke you up, Sands. He's gone." My eyes shot open and my back arched.

"_What_?" She smiled, antagonizing me.

"_Where_?" I demanded. She smirked and took a paper out of her pocket, waving it idly.

"Well…I'd tell you, but it would be easier to show you, wouldn't it? _Unless_," she added playfully while I growled, "you didn't actually pay attention to me for once."

"I'm listening, Princess, and paying _really_ close attention. So much so your life's on a knife edge," I threatened. She blinked slowly and let the paper go.

"One moment is all I ask. Now, do you think we should call for back up or not?" she wondered as I snatched up the paper while grabbing a knife. Angling the point at her, I scanned Grandfather's wavy, capitalized handwriting.

'GONE TO VISIT A FEW ALLIES. BE BACK ROUND 9:00 OR SO.' Breathing a sigh of relief, I sagged. Elena smirked at me and hoisted herself up.

And fell back with a _yeep_. I raised my eyebrows cheekily.

"Ok, _what_ was that?" She glared at me and turned to her right leg, twisted at an angle.

"It was fine yesterday," she said, pressing a palm to her knee and flinching.

"Adrenaline," I guessed, "When you're under pressure, your body stops pain. _Whoa_."

"I don't want something like that. I'll die!" I shook my head theatrically.

"Wow, for a student of Athena, you're not very calm. Your nerves deadened and you can survive long enough to get help long as you're stressing." I glanced at her, eyes wide. "Get it?" She touched her leg gingerly and cringed, then nodded briefly.

"I think," she whispered. "But what about after stress time?" I shrugged.

"You die." Somehow she had strength to smack me on the shoulder.

"Not funny, Dorman." I ignored her. Elena usually hunted, but with her leg…

"Well, guess Princess won't be getting us lunch or dinner today. Looks like I'll have to do it." She looked pained, but didn't argue.

Before she changed her mind I leapt up like a swiftly running deer and disappeared.

Feeling pretty good with myself, I strode back to camp. Knives were a multi-purpose tool, and these were no exception.

'Thanks, Dad,' I thought downwards. Morpheus lives in the Underworld, at this Lake of Dreams, or so Elena tells me. Slung over my proud shoulder were 2 fat partridges. I didn't even know they still had them here in the US of A.

"I don't care if you're the US of A! Go _away_!" I snorted indignantly.

'Well, she sure knows how to ruin a guy's self-image.' Then-

-'Wait, _what_?'

Dropping my stuff, I scooted up a tree. Peering over I spied a 16-year-old guy standing over Elena. Flat blood-red hair, brown eyes set under a razor-thin eyebrow, and a smile so cruel it could split steel. Perfectly honed muscles just so you noticed but not so much your eyes hurt. Standard celestial bronze armor, newly polished and gleaming.

It made Elena's eyes so much bluer in contrast, sparking electricity like Thalia's did. But there was something wrong with the way she was staring at the guy. A bit too intently, maybe? I slid down, water-slide style, and crept up behind the guy.

He was arguing heatedly with Elena, trying to deflect her insults. And failing.

'One,' I counted silently, 'three!' and stopped the point just under his Adam's apple.

"_Boo_," I smirked. "You know it's not manly to stand-off against an injured girl, right?" He flinched, and Elena smirked with me, although it was less scornful than I was used to.

"Start explaining," I urged, not moving.

"Name's…name's Adrian. From…from Krios' army. I-" he choked as I pressed the knife edge harder against his neck, causing the smallest trickle of blood.

"Wrong choice of words. Try again." He coughed.

"I want to help. Please," he added, "Please. 1 chance is all I ask." My knife stayed.

"1 chance is all you'll need," I countered. Elena shot me a furious look.

'What, now you're taking _his_ side?' I answered with my face. She ignored me.

"Are you the demigod who was supposed to get the venom?" Adrian looked shocked.

"How-"

"Dreams, ADD," I answered. He tensed.

"Don't call me that," he growled. I opened my mouth but Elena got there first.

"Then you're betting your life on a lost cause."

"That's what she said," I said brightly, and got a Medusa-stare in return. Elena turned back to Adrian, her expression softening. Go figure.

"I remember your voice. What happened?" I removed my knife from Adrian's neck but didn't let down my guard. He rubbed his neck and coughed a few times before answering.

"The moment I got out of sight, I ran. I heard about you guys from the monsters. I'd love to help. Least I can do after my mom was killed by monsters. The jerks," he spat.

"You know who your dad is, then?" I asked. He nodded.

"Ares." I nodded approvingly; Clarisse is ok if you can follow her instructions.

"Cool." He smiled. "But you're still not joining us." I cut Elena off with a hand. "I'm saying that _maybe_ you're ok, but what if Krios' got a tracker on you?"

Elena's face asked if I'd ever been dropped on my head as a baby. Which I probably had.

"Monsters using technology? Ha," chortled Adrian.

I nodded, "Yeah, sad you still can't join us."

Grabbing my arm, Elena yanked, saying, "_Excuse_ us for one second, Adrian." I yelped, dropping to my knees. She put her mouth to my ear, talking fast.

"Shut up! He's come to help us, can you not admit that? Who can't share the glory now? And I need all the help I can get if I'm going to save the gods." I turned to her, taunting now. The alternative is to freak as badly as Elena.

"Save what? They can't be saved, remember?" She held her tongue with some difficulty.

"You wanted to follow me," she whispered savagely, "so you will. _Whatever_ I say, and if you disagree, go back to Camp, _hero_."

I flinched inwardly. I'd promised Chiron, and I couldn't let him down. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I lowered my arm, promising myself I would make Elena's life miserable. And I wondered why Elena liked this guy so much.

Then it hit me like a Hunter's arrow; she liked him. Like, _like like_, you know, like?

Elena smiled at Adrian, giddily, and suddenly I saw my mom, wild with happy juice after a night clubbing. I almost fainted. Adrian smiled back warmly.

_Too_ warmly.

Grandfather returned to a heavy silence, broken only by his own steady footsteps. Adrian and Elena had spent the afternoon 'finding out about Mt. Othrys', or so they said. Elena was probably stuttering the whole way, trying to be flirty.

Fail.

'And you thought Aphrodite couldn't teach you stuff,' I thought humorously. Grandfather took the whole scene in at a glance, me stretching cat-like over a log, Elena and Adrian sharing the other. Elena gave him a hasty explanation about what happened and went straight back to staring at Adrian, who had started to stutter.

Rolling my eyes, I took over. "Adrian, this is my Grandfather. Grandfather, Adrian, demigod of Ares." Glancing at the 2 verbally challenged idjits casually, I continued. "Adrian's running away from Krios, he wants to help us."

'And that,' I thought triumphantly, 'is how you do it.' Grandfather gave a half-nod, digesting the information. He smiled at Adrian and sat down, rubbing his hands together.

Uh-oh. He only does that when he's about to share important stuff. Desperately, I willed him, with my superior brain waves, not to say anything that might endanger our lives.

And a voice comes back to me.

"_Why_?" I squirmed, falling off my log and squishing onto the dirt face-first. I could almost feel the eyebrows flying off the faces of Adrian and Elena.

"I…I just had a flashback. It happens sometimes," I said innocently. It worked. They weren't very interested in me anyway. Adrian muttered something into Elena's ear and she laughed, blushing. I bet she hoped no one can see from the firelight. So I just smiled.

"Get a room. Trees won't do for walls." Adrian grinned, not getting my perverted thought.

"Mm. Goodnight," he croons to Elena. Elena blushes right on cue.

I rammed the urge to laugh back down my throat, along with a stirring feeling. Erm, embarrassment? No, that's not it. It's jealousy.

'Ah well, blame it on saving her life,' I thought. Elena stared into the empty space where Adrian had disappeared, a smile tainting her normally down-turned lips.

"Someone's been hit by Eros' arrows," I teased. Maybe this is her punishment for hating Aphrodite; falling so helplessly in love with a guy that she forgets everything else. That thought sends a chill slipping down my spine.

The prophecy. _An evil one, whom she befriends, watches, and the Fifth Age ends._ Does this have something to do with it?

"Shut up. I'm going to sleep," retorts Elena.

"Sweet dreams," I crooned back, imitating Adrian. Kicking me, Elena carefully set her weapons in reach of her grasping hands before leaning down to sleep. I watched as her fluttering eyelids settle and she loses years' worth of worrying in moments.

It won't last. On instincts that have kept me alive for so darn long, I whispered a phrase.

"_Good time for a nap_." Her eyelids quiver a bit more, then relax fully, and I'm sure that she won't be having nightmares any time tonight.

"Bet I can make people fall sleep, too," I thought. I caught Grandfather looking at me through heavy-lidded brows.

"What?" He shrugged.

"Why did you ask me not to say anything? You don't trust Adrian?" his voice asked, barely above a leaf rustle. I frowned, trying to process my thoughts.

"I don't, I guess. He might be alright, but he could have leeches all over him. Don't wanna risk it." A pause.

Then, "How were you able to talk to me in my head?" Grandfather frowned in thought for a moment.

"I think," he ventured, "I think that you did that. Your voice told me, in my head, not to say anything and I just thought why? And you fell over. Maybe it's one of your demigod powers." I let the information wash over me.

I wished I was back at the mess hall at Camp Half-Blood, so I could sacrifice something to my dad, like chocolate or whatever. Because having these powers could come in handy.

'I'll make a big sacrifice if and when I get back, Dad,' I thought softly, 'I promise.'

'Log that, Nemesis,' I added after a moment's pause.

'_I will_.'


	13. Quest upon Quest

**At Fifth Age's End Ch. 13**

I woke for the first time in days without breaking a sweat, sleep fogging up my thoughts.

"Almost forgot how it feels to get a good night's sleep," I mumbled to myself. Rubbing my eyes, I scanned my surroundings.

Trees, trees, oh look, a campfire, more trees, James having a hard time being coherent while discussing something with his Grandfather; hey more trees…Whoa, _James_ looking sleepy? Did something happen last night that I slept through?

'I'm gonna need more sleep if I can't wake up at a mouse sniffle,' I thought cynically.

"Hey," said Adrian, coming from behind me and sitting down. "Had a good night?" he asked, chocolate-brown eyes wide. I was all I could do not to stare.

You know, it _has_ crossed my mind that this is Aphrodite's revenge for my remarks on her speeches. This guy could definitely qualify as Hottest Man of the Year. Not that I would ever say that out loud, and obviously not around him. Or James. He knows, anyway.

"Um…yeah. Best since a while. You?" I stuttered, flames coursing up my cheeks.

James, who doesn't miss a mosquito flitting half a mile away, caught my eye and winked. His mouth was twisted at a funny angle I took to mean he was struggling not to laugh and was ending up in spasms. Making sure that Adrian didn't see, I glowered back.

Adrian, I figured out pretty fast, didn't notice a lot of things. He was the complete opposite of James, always with a genuine smile and a joke of some kind. James, on the other hand, was sneaky and was always looking for a chance to trip you up.

_Guys_.

"Hey Adrian, stop flirting with the poor girl and make yourself useful," he called. I flushed a more violent shade of tomato-red, but thank the gods, Adrian just smiled at me and called good-naturedly back.

"Saying hi ain't flirting, James, but I 'll be right there." He gave me a warm smile and stood up, brushing himself off.

James patted him on the back fondly as Adrian came over, but I knew enough about James to realize that this was all an act. He was including him in their plans to lure Adrian into a sense of security, lying in wait for something that would back his theory.

'You have evil thoughts for a girl,' I mused. Constant exposure to James will do that.

As they started discussing the best way to enter Mt. Othrys without detection, I studied my knee carefully. It still had a sort of tingly feeling, like the kind you get when your leg goes to sleep. Gingerly, I tested it out, leaning on the leg until it I was balancing on it.

It didn't even flinch.

I gave an overjoyed whoop. I don't like weaknesses. They make me feel… weak. Like I'm stupid or whatever. Feeling like I'd just hit on the happy juice, I trudged off to the safety of the woods without a backward glance.

James would obviously realize; he's _Hades_ good at keeping track of everything, but he wouldn't stop me. The one thing we both liked was privacy and quiet. Throughout the trip we'd barely spoken more than a few hours' worth of words.

Weaving in and out the trees, watching animals scurry around when they realized I was there, I thought lazily, 'This was what I was made for.' The forest. Not the city, not the mountains, but the ever-changing, ever-peaceful thicket of evergreen trees.

In a fit of ADHD-ness, I whipped out my phone. It was a direct connection to the gods, yes, but I've been making alterations since Hephaestus said I was old enough. Basically, it's cooler than any phone ever made. I hesitated, then dialed #1. In seconds Artemis' voice answered with an enthusiastic "Hey!"

I'm betting only I make her like a schoolgirl. But it was only her voice mail.

'Must be on a hunt,' I thought. I dithered a while, processing what was crucial information and what was icing on the cake.

"Hey Arty, it's Elena. We got to Mt. Othrys, and it's not looking good. I was wondering if your Hunters could use a stretch and come join us. Don't do anything yet, though; wait for further instruction and just chill out when you get there. Oh, and send a Heya! to Fred for me, will ya? Thanks." I disconnected and kept playing with my phone, shifting through the games.

Concentrated ADHD disease ensured the ability to play Snake III and still navigate without a sound. And hear a sniffing, not unlike the Nemean Lion. I whirled.

Nothingness stared back at me. Wait; there it is again; a snorting, like an oversized pig. I shivered as memories of a very smelly, _very_ sweaty training exercise resurfaced.

Athena had sent me on a mission; seek and destroy the Erymanthian Boar. It had taken me longer than usual, partly because I was not looking forward to challenging a rampage-prone pig and partly because I did not like to be grappling in the dark with a flea-bitten, bristle-backed, mud-covered _dingbat_. I have standards, though lower than most, you know. I ended up having to track it by the 'gifts' it leaves behind.

The snuffling continued, and the hairs on my neck stood straight up. _No_ duh, instincts. I immediately crouched, legs apart, hands tense, the way Clarisse had drilled so mercilessly. The snorting sounded much closer.

I turned and a _Please-get-me-some-Kleenex-fast_ nose blocked my vision.

_EW_. I backed up, and the rest of him came into focus. Greek battle armor, 2 razor-sharp horns, and extremely beefy arms covered with more hair than I was used to, even on guys.

The Minotaur advanced on me, spewing green-tinted snot.

_Double ew_. I was just considering retreating when he pulled out a rusty, dust-ridden, foot-long hunting knife.

_My_ hunting knife. Filled with cold fury, I gave an unearthly growl.

"Wanna play, do we?" I snarled angrily, drawing my other knife and holding it point forward. Old Beefy blew snot at me in response.

"Argh!" I yelled, lunging forward. My knives met with a _scith_, fingernails against a chalkboard. I backed away, absorbing the shock waves racing up my arms. Beefy grunted and lowered his head to charge.

I waited, holding my inane instinct to flee at bay. Wait, _wait_…I back-flipped upward, soaring through the air with an arm's length of space to spare. As the Minotaur charged past I caught his horns and, locking my knees straight, used the extra momentum to crash course into his hairy six-pack.

He staggered back and I let go of his horns and somersaulted to the ground, Jedi-style. Beefo did this foot-shuffle thing that would have made him pretty sought after on the dance floor had it not been for his body hair. He shook his head and focused his black as night eyes on me, hatred contorting his face.

Smirking like I've seen James do a thousand times since we've met, I charged him and then rolled to the left as he stormed, freight train style.

"Hi-yah!" I yelled, leaving a large gash at his elbow emitting blood. He bellowed in pain and as I'm about to finish him off, my mother butts in.

"Be gone, beast. Your time draws near." I reeled back, covering my mouth.

She used my mouth to talk!

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I couldn't arrive fast enough," she answers, reading my mind. And you thought _your_ mom was bad. Beefo blasted himself away as Nemesis shimmered into view, hands on hips. Grey high heels, silvery off the shoulder dress, a touch of makeup to highlight her features, she looked like something out of a vampire novel. Of course, she can inflict pain like one too.

"What was that for?" I asked, wiping the sweat off with a corner of my shirt. She frowned and considered.

"It's another's work to kill him. Dorman, I think. But I came because of the knife. It's beyond repair." I rubbed my hand against the rust and winced.

"Dry as sandpaper. How?" I asked. Nemesis looked sad.

"I do not know. But I do know how you can fix it."

"You just said it was beyond repair."

"Of human hands," corrected my mother. She rubbed her thumb and forefinger together and a coin appeared. She held it out to me.

"Tracker coin. It's a collector's item. I've programmed it to find the one person whose hands are skilful enough to restore your knife to its former glory." I took it gingerly, immediately knowing who I would find with the help of this coin.

"Hephaestus," I said, twirling the coin in my hands. She nodded, and after a pause, seemed to consider something.

"It is time to collect what is due," she mused, "Go. Krios has some heavy debts to pay. You are going to be instrumental in the balancing of the score." I smiled, fantasizing.

"Yes, mother." She stopped me with her eyes.

"I was never here, Elena, understood? Zeus is strict about human quests. Don't let my honor down." She began to shimmer.

Spinning on my heel, I raced back to the camp, my bad knee yelling in protest. The muscles were sizing up with every step, causing a jolt to shudder through me. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I kept running.

Sneaking back to camp was easy. James was at the stream 400m away, relaxing, and his Grandfather was reading a book. I didn't bother trying to figure out the title. I'd be here forever, or at least until I turned to stone.

Slipping in between the trees to my backpack, constantly packed and ready, I tugged it on, adjusting the straps. Athena wasn't the only one who thought planning ahead was just as awesome as powers. I was almost home free when a finger tapped my shoulder.

I whirled, instinctively aiming for the heart.

"Ok, what did I do now?" I stumbled back, almost dropping my weapons in surprise. Adrian stepped out of the shadows that hid everything in forest, hands held high and eyes wide in fear.

Oops. I forced a smile to my lips, trying to block a tsunami of blood from destroying my perfect mask of a face.

"Sorry."

"That's alright," he replied graciously. He took a glance at my backpack and cocked his brow quizzically. I was shocked, again, by how Adrian and James could do the exact same thing and the outcome would _still_ be completely different. James always looks so scornful and disapproving when he does that.

"Um…well, I've been sent on a mission. By my mom. My sword needs fixing, see," I added, holding up the falling-apart-at-a-breath sword. Adrian drew up, nodding to himself, lips moving slightly.

Then he gave a final nod and said, "I'll come with you."


	14. Plight of Nightmares

**At Fifth Age's End Ch. 14**

I was having a nice, relaxing, _unexciting_ day when Elena ruined it.

"Argh! I can't relax for one moment! The moment I go off to have some fun, she has to go AWOL! I knew I shouldn't have given her a good night's sleep, it made her too damn lively. A night's sleep! That's all! What is she, Wonder Girl?"

I paced like an agitated wildcat, grumbling. Never mind the fact I would have done the same thing, I was mad.

I mean, who goes off with Adrian! That girl is just asking to be killed, and I'm not just talking about the Prophecy; she just wants to.

Now I think about it, I was jealous. Jealous that she hadn't cared to tell me where she'd gone, jealous that she'd let Adrian follow her along, jealous that Adrian, and not me, was watching her back, keeping her alive. That was my job, both officially and informally and I prided myself on being exceptionally good at, no matter what any stuck-up pops (that's short for popular people) said or thought. In that aspect, I was a straight-As student.

Grandfather peeked over his book. Don't ask me what the title was, it's rude to make fun of someone with dyslexia. Especially one that could serve you your own butt on a silver platter, with complimentary silver cutlery.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" he asked, glasses slipping a centimeter or two down his nose. I looked at him, amused.

"Heck, it'll be an hour before I even finish griping," I replied, arms folded. He smiled.

"I'll time you."

After complaining (and a couple of minutes of colorful language), I shouldered my pack and made Grandfather swear he'd stay out of this until I came back. The sky roared a challenge to whoever dared defy the River Styx, making Grandfather scowl.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered darkly, wringing a drawn-out laugh from me. The past few days had hardly given cause for relief, so I had to grab the smallest chance and hold tight.

I glanced at the clouds drawing over the mortal world and wondered if Zeus was worried.

I certainly was.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I gave Grandfather a lopsided grin, which he returned with a pat on my back. The pat was so strong I almost doubled over, partly because I was already beat and partly because Grandfather was like those little wizened old men in fairytales who could kill if you didn't treat him like your own grandfather.

Giving an unenthusiastic thumbs-up, I straightened, dusted myself off, and jogged off into the undergrowth. Everywhere, I saw broken twigs, crushed shrubs, bruised leaves.

It's enough to give you a headache if you're a good hunter, which I counted myself as after prolonged exposure to Elena. All she needs is a few well-placed sniffs and she's good to go. I was unbelieving that she would be this easy to track, so I was half-expecting it when the forest thinned out and came to a fast-moving stream, in a eternal hurry.

And no sign of anyone passing through. I didn't need to look to know that they'd gone into the water, covering their tracks. I just needed to know when they when off the river, but that would be asking too much of Elena. Even if she was in a hurry.

Already wound-up and tense from the last few days, I let all the frustration out, grabbing a knife and hurling it into a nearby tree.

Which yelled at me with a "Hey!" and other things I don't think can be safely put on paper. Honestly, I didn't understand half of it myself; it was all in rapid-fire Greek.

'I had to pick a tree with a nymph in it. Just had to,' I thought cynically as I tried to raise my hands in a gesture of surrender. The nymph wasn't having any of it. She could have been a Fur-I mean, Kindly One.

I glanced behind me and backed away slowly. The nymph advanced, with some sort of twig in her hand, like she was all set to tan somebody's backside.

Somebody, like me.

She tried to poke me in the ribs with the stick but my hand shot out and grabbed it, forcing her to point it downwards. The nymph was, to say the least, spitting mad. I gave her a tailored-for-Elena glare and she quieted down immediately.

"Chill it. You see a hunk and a girl run past here?" She fought, but I held her at bay with barely a twitch. I guess prolonged exposure to Elena does have perks. Finally, she stilled, panting, and relented.

I didn't let go of her arm; not that I didn't trust her, but I didn't.

"Fine," she gritted out, "They followed the stream. I'll send word to my sisters to find out where they cut off from it. Happy?" I nodded, releasing her arm carefully. She took it back, scowling, massaging the cramped blood-flow.

I saluted her off-handedly and took off before she could come back with a vengeance.

The nymph kept her promise; I was surprised, really.

I was just thinking I should be turning back and looking for signs myself when a girl, looking not more than nine, flipped upside-down from a branch. Thank my battle reflexes that I stopped fast enough not to plow face-first into her face. You figure out how disgusting that would have been.

I stumbled back a few steps and succumbed to the fast-moving current, landing on a hard rock with an 'oof!' The cool water flicked everywhere. The nymph-child just giggled sweetly, and motioned towards the east.

"Your friend and the good-looking boy went that way. If you like, we could keep track of them." I snorted at the 'good-looking boy' part, then smiled back at the nymph-child.

"Thanks. You would do that?" The girl smiled again, green pigments coloring her cheeks.

"Yes. My sisters tell me you are most determined to find your friend. They tell me many things that, upon seeing you for myself, I do not think are true." She got me; I was hooked onto the mysterious 'many things'.

"What things?" I asked nonchalantly, not wanting her to notice my interest. She smiled.

"Who said I was telling?" she taunted cheekily.

Then she giggled and vanished as I yelled, "Hey! What the Hades?" Just my luck.

I waded towards shore, wishing I was a Poseidon's kid so I wouldn't be so darn wet.

"Awww, don't you look _pathetic_," a voice drawled. I stopped short, shoulders hunching and body crouching down in a defensive position.

I waited; obviously if the monster had decided to talk to me it would most likely also try to get in my face. Really, who goes for sneak attacks anymore?

After a moment of tense silence, the monster slid into view. She-it wasn't pretty, let me tell you-slithered out a tentacle-hand and offered it.

"I am Lamia, the essence of nightmares." I raised an eyebrow and looked at the tentacle.

"Yeah, you share a likeness with this girl from 5th grade who got caught in the middle of a spaghetti food fight. Relative of yours? She looked better." Instead of snarling, she merely pouted and looked hurt.

"Oh James, do you really want to insult me?" I looked at her in disbelief.

"Um, yes, I really do. Your face is just begging for it." Something slithery touched my back and I cut it without looking. She howled in fury, but quickly composed herself.

My eyes narrowed.

"Aren't you going to attack? At least insult me?" She smiled in (mock) hurt.

"I would never. I am not like your friend Elena." I snorted.

"On _so,_ _many,_ levels." She bared her teeth.

"I was beautiful before, James. But the gods-"

"-didn't make you like this." I interrupted.

'22 Things' was actually coming in useful.

"You're like this because of your own jealousy. You ate-eat-kids, because you feel jealous of the happiness they are to their mothers." I smirked and folded my arms, watching the anger and rage flooding through her deformed face.

And she attacked. Her tentacles shot everywhere, making a cage around me. I charged forward and slashed through them. And found they regenerated pretty darn quickly.

_Fine_, I thought. And closing my eyes, I bit into one of her tentacles.

"EEEAAAKKK!" she screamed, or something like that. I sprang back, eyes watering from the taste and smell of green blood.

_Concentrate_, I yelled at myself silently. Slashing madly at the wall of tentacles that was surrounding me, I managed to break through, coughing and gagging.

Lamia was gaining composure, smiling crazily.

"You will not survive long after tasting my blood, demigod," she roared. In a flash of blinding light, she disappeared, leaving little sparkles falling to the ground.

I kept gagging, feeling like I was gonna throw up a fur ball.

And I kinda did. The clump wasn't furry but pulsing, and just plain gross.

I was on my knees, breathing hard and eyes closed, thinking, _I will not look. I will _not.

Eventually I got up and careful not to look down, opened my eyes. I was still in the calm, green forest.

_Scratch that_, I thought as I forced down my breakfast, _I'm in the forest. Just the forest_.

Looking back on it, I should have just thrown up right then and there. It would probably have stopped the hallucinations from ever happening.

Running, running from gods knew what, just running. My chest heaved in exhaustion.

I had to keep running. My backpack swung wildly from side to side, hindering me.

I kept running. A girl, not older than twelve, kept pace beside me.

I looked down. Blue sneakers thudding rhythmically, khaki pants flapping in the wind. Wait, khaki pants? I glanced over at the girl, who I hadn't really paid attention to.

Spiky black hair sticking out in all directions, black eyeliner smudged all over, black T-shirt with Green Day written on it, she looked the image of Thalia.

And I realized she was Thalia, with no bow and tiara and shining moonlit-ness.

_But I'm not asleep_, I thought, trying to process everything at once, _am I?_

_Honk_!

I stopped dead and pulled my hands over my head reflexively. The truck swerved wildly out of control and almost tipped over, crashing into a couple of shops.

I stood up shakily, eyes wide and very, very freaked. People screamed but I didn't care.

I took one look at the truck and started to run again, not even caring which way. I didn't know how I was in a city, either.

The city disappeared and I was in an apartment. Not just any old apartment; my mother's.

I took a step back and looked for the exit, but before I could take a step she was there.

Eyes sunken, mouth gaping and hands grasping, she gave me a crazed blank look. I put my hands out to stop her but she lunged, her nails like nails (the metal kind).

And I'll freely admit that I screamed for all I was worth.

She was about to start bludgeoning me with a steel ruler when the scene changed.

And changed again.

And again.

Everywhere I looked, I was trapped in a nightmare of my own making. Everything I feared, every scary story I'd ever heard around the campfire, was there, awakened by the hiss of poison running through my battered, fevered, shivering-in-the-dark brain.


	15. Wish You Were Here

**At Fifth Age's End Ch. 15**

"Please slow down. We've been running for like, hours," said a quiet voice in my ear.

"Mm-hm," I replied, and kept moving, not slowing the pace by a millisecond. My mind was focused so hard you could have made me into the Human Telescope. The only thing I was conscious of was my feet thudding, my hands swinging at my side, and that with every moment I was getting closer to having my hunting knife back in deadly good order.

To you, that sounds selfish. I had left James behind, who was probably spitting mad.

Oh. That sounds like a cat. Ha.

I had to smile, almost forgetting where I was going. But I couldn't. Until I got my knives back in top order, I was weak. Well, to me I would. To demigods, monsters, and mortals, I'd still be pretty dangerous. But if I'm going to at least have a chance of fighting Krios' army, I had to be better than I was.

Besides, I've been fighting with dual swords since I was little. Not being able to was like having a hand cut off whenever I went into battle. And if you're a demigod reading this (I envy you; I have to write this in Greek and give it to someone to translate), you would totally understand how bad that would be.

"Elena, we need to stop. If you don't, I still do." Adrian's voice was coaxing, reasonable.

How very different from James' possible response; "I'm stopping. Unless you want to find yourself on the forest floor, snoring yourself awake, I suggest you do too." Or something like that.

I sighed; stopping would definitely mean arguing with my sanity, but if I wanted Adrian to watch out for me, I had better keep him alive.

I stopped abruptly, letting Adrian plow straight into me. "One hour, then we're moving."

He nodded wordlessly, panting. He sat on a rock and put his head in his hands. I immediately felt sorry that I had pushed him so hard.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I would have never done that for James. He would have killed himself, laughing so hard.

Adrian smiled carefully. "It's ok," he breathed, rubbing his foot.

I was on edge. Something about this conversation was lacking. I stood up carefully.

"Um, I wanna go just sit by the stream. You'll be ok here?" He nodded, not facing me, tying his bootlaces. I sighed in relief as I walked off.

What was wrong? Conversations always come easy to me. Especially with James…

'I miss James,' came the thought, before I could slam it down into a corner of my mind labeled 'ignore these thoughts'. I was so surprised I nearly stumbled into a tree, which would have been a great laugh for all those little woodland creatures all around.

Reaching the stream, I stopped for a moment to savor the quiet. Kicking off my shoes, I scrambled onto a rock and dangled my feet over the water, letting the cold absorb me.

"Ahhhhh…" I said, wriggling my toes and shutting my eyes tight to enjoy the moment.

After about 5 minutes of peace, blinding light flashed against my closed eyelids. I scowled and looked to see what had disturbed me.

A Hawaiian shirt, black trimmed beard, and many, many smile wrinkles…

"Poseidon," I smiled. He inclined his head at the greeting.

"Hello, Elena. It's great to see you." Poseidon is one of my favorite gods. He's so easygoing. Percy is so lucky to have a dad as understanding as him, but get on Poseidon's bad side is like saying, "I'd love to drown, or just plain die painfully in the sea!"

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be running through the forest right now?" I smiled ruefully and told him the whole story since I'd undertaken the quest, even my crush. It felt good to get it out. Poseidon didn't interrupt once.

When I was done, he winked at me and said, "Well, sounds like you're having an exciting time. I'm just waiting for the renovations in game room to finish." I considered.

"So, would you mind giving me a free extra lesson, then?" I asked eagerly. He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Why not?" And it was basically the most amazing swimming lesson ever. When Poseidon called a break, I teased him about paying more attention to a Child of Nemesis than his own son. He gave me a stern look and waggled his finger at me. "Percy can swim twice as fast as you ever will. 10 more repetitions of that butterfly stroke!"

Before I could dive back into the water, however, a tremor, barely noticeable, ran through the trees on the northwest side. Poseidon and I immediately stopped jesting and turned to stare like a 'deer in the headlights'. The undergrowth rustled again, and something emerged.

Something small and bright orange, breaching no higher than my knee.

"Flame!" I yelled in delight. The furball looked up, pleased, and gave an investigative sniff at Poseidon.

"You know this creature?" asked Poseidon, still staring at the kitten.

"Yeah, it's kinda my kitten. And it turns into a tank-sized tiger when it's angry," I replied, cuddling Flame and rubbing him behind the ears, the way he likes. He smelled like the Hunters; fresh air and cured furs.

I introduced him to Poseidon. "Poseidon, Flame, my saber-tooth kitty. Flame, Poseidon, God of the Seas. Play nice."

Poseidon smiled. "In a twisted way, reminds me of Percy's hellhound. Except that she doesn't have a miniature form, which is a pity." I gave Flame a skeptical look as he inspected his claws.

"Do you look like Mrs. O' Leary, do you think?" I asked him. He continued to inspect his claws. "Didn't think so."

In a quick flash of light, Poseidon disappeared. I blinked the spots out of my eyes.

"Hey, he didn't even tell us he was going," I complained to Flame, who also looked indignant. He poofed up the hair on his back but allowed me to cuddle him some more.

He reminded me so much of Ja-

'Whoa,' I told myself quickly, 'Does everything around you remind you of James?'

'Yes,' another part of me answered immediately, picking a fight. Having more than one consciousness inside your head can be useful, but most of the time it just gives you a splitting headache.

"Shut up," I told myself wearily.

Flame looked at me like, 'I knew this woman was crazy. I knew it!'

Watching him, I got an idea. Maybe I didn't have to feel bad about leaving James behind. I dragged the sketch of me sleeping, which I'd managed to snitch off James while _he_ slept, and the pencil that had accidentally come with it.

'Heading towards Mt. Saint Helens, Hephaestus' forge, to fix my other hunting knife (long story). Catch us if you can!' I wrote hastily, then turned to Flame.

"Do me a favor, bud? Make sure this gets to James, ok?" I told him, and he stared back.

I could swear he was trying to say, "What, I'm a delivery cat now?" I sighed.

"Prolonged exposure to James has poisoned your mind, hasn't it? Don't worry, it'll wear off. I hope," I added thoughtfully.

Flame snorted.

"Just find James, alright?" I sighed again.

In response, he gagged up a little furball, took the message in his over-sized molars, and skirted off into the undergrowth.

I wished with all my heart I could go with him, free to run, without anyone whining 'Wait up, Elena! I'm tired!'

With a sigh, I stood and walked back to where I'd left Adrian.


End file.
